News
Eighth Graders Analyze Life before World War II as Part of European Jewish Life Photo Project
Lining one of the walls of the main building and another in the middle school building are displays of the recently completed eighth grade pre-World War II European Jewish Life Photo Project. Through this project, which is part of a three-month-long Holocaust unit in Judaic studies, eighth graders analyzed photos of European Jews prior to World War II and compared them to photographs from their own lives. “The lesson provides an opportunity for students to relate their own lives to those of the Jews of that time in a more personal way,” explains Judaic studies teacher Rabbi Camille Angel. Students researched photos using the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum photo archives and selected photos that to them reflected Jewish life prior to the Nazi invasion. After also selecting their own family photos that paralleled the archived ones, students discussed the photos and their significance.
Adds Rabbi Angel, “This project helps students focus on individuals rather than on numbers or groups of people. After completing the project, it became obvious to the students that these Jews were ‘normal’ people who had normal lives in normal communities, just like them.” This project is one of the many ways the eighth graders learn about the Holocaust; soon, they will have the honor of bearing witness to a Holocaust survivor. The Holocaust unit is also integrated into the eighth grade English curriculum, as students will read Elie Wiesel’s Night.
