The purpose of this activity is to help students learn about rescue and resistance. In order to do so, students will divide into groups and research one interviewee from the Museum’s Voices on Antisemitism series in-depth and present their research to the class using one of the options listed below.
Faiza Abdul-Wahab
Khaled Abdul-Wahab, a Tunisian who rescued two dozen Jews during the Holocaust, is the first Arab person to be nominated for the designation of Righteous Among the Nations. Faiza Abdul-Wahab reflects here on her father's life and legacy. Learn more
Daniel Craig
Actor Daniel Craig is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Agent 007 in the James Bond movies. But his latest film, Defiance, is based on the true story of the Bielski brothers, who led a resistance against the Nazis during the Second World War. Learn more
Gerda Weissmann Klein
Gerda Klein survived the Holocaust and was liberated by an American soldier who she eventually married. Here, Klein discusses her understanding of hatred and antisemitism today. Learn more
Johanna Neumann
Johanna Neumann speaks with gratitude and affection of the family who rescued her during the Holocaust. Yet her fondness for them exists alongside some profound contradictions. Learn more
Robert Satloff
Soon after September 11, 2001, Robert Satloff moved to Rabat, Morocco, to search for Arab heroes during the Holocaust. Listen to him explain why. Learn more
Tracy Strong Jr.
In 1940, Tracy Strong left the relative safety of America to help students displaced by the war in Europe to continue their studies. While uncomfortable with the title "hero," Strong's efforts to sustain an educational safe haven ultimately proved life saving for many young Jews. Learn more
Methodology
- Divide students into groups.
- Assign a podcast episode to each group.
- Each group will research the person assigned to them, paying close attention to this person’s experiences during World War II.
- Students should consider who the individual is, where he or she grew up, where this person lives now if he or she is still living, what his or her motivation or memory of rescue and resistance is, and what methods this person uses to carry out his or her work of rescue, resistance, or educating others.
- Once the groups have gathered the necessary information, they should present what they have learned about the individual assigned to them using any of the methods below:
- Design a poster on the person including information on who he or she is and how he or she rescued, was rescued, or resisted.
- Write a newspaper article “reporting” on who the individual is and:
- i. how this person rescued others;
- ii. how this person responds(ed) to his or her own rescue; or
- iii. how this person resisted the Nazis.
- Based on what the individual in the episode discussed, create a website profile instructing others about rescue and/or resistance.
- Simulate a press conference.
Recommended Research Resources
Museum Resources
- Resistance During the Holocaust (Educational pamphlet exploring examples of armed and unarmed resistance by Jews and other Holocaust victims.)
Holocaust Encyclopedia articles:
- Antisemitism
- Armed Jewish Resistance: Partisans
- Flight and Rescue
- Jewish Aid and Rescue
- Jewish Uprisings in Ghettos and Camps, 1941-1944
- Jews in North Africa: Oppression and Resistance
Additional Online Resources Related to Rescue and Resistance
- “Five Rescuers of Those Threatened by the Holocaust” (An article published in Smithsonian Magazine.)
- Yad Vashem Resource Center (Provides in-depth information about the Holocaust using sources from the Yad Vashem Archives.)
