Before reading the article:
Watch the video “‘I Was Shocked’: Holocaust Survivor Meets With Teenagers” (above). What does Eva Schloss give as her reason for meeting the teenagers who were shown in a video making Nazi salutes at a party? What does she say she learned? What advice does she give? What hope does she express at the end of the video?
Now, read the article, “Anne Frank’s Stepsister Meets Teenagers From Swastika Photo,” and answer the following questions:
1. Who is Anne Frank? What did she become famous for writing? What message contained in her diary does the article quote? How is Eva Schloss related to Anne Frank?
2. What does Ms. Schloss believe the incident revealed about Holocaust education at Newport Harbor High School?
3. Who is Sean Boulton? How does he explain the students’ actions that were photographed at the party? What statistics seem to back his point about hateful speech having become “normalized”?
4. Who is Paul Nussbaum? Where does he place the blame for incidents like those described in the article? What is his advice for teaching young people about the Holocaust?
5. What happened to Ms. Schloss when she was 16? How does she describe the realization that came next?
Finally, tell us more about what you think:
The article outlines what happened, in addition to the visit from Ms. Schloss, as a result of the incident at the party attended by Newport Harbor High School students: a statement from the mayor of one of the two cities served by the school; students wearing blue in solidarity with the Jewish community; a community meeting featuring students, a rabbi and the spokeswoman for a local Jewish organization; and an upcoming private tour of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, during which students and their parents will meet with a Holocaust survivor and someone whose parents died in the Holocaust.
What do you think is the intended purpose of each of these actions? How well do they meet Mr. Nussbaum’s recommendation that the focus is kept on the personal? Which do you think has the most potential to help students understand what happened during the Holocaust?
Have you learned about the Holocaust? If so, where did you learn about it? Do you think that education is a viable solution for preventing hateful speech, symbols and actions? Why or why not? Do you have additional suggestions for dealing with the issue?
