Teaching and Learning Through the Holocaust: Thinking About the Unthinkable

266 Pages·2022·2.341 MB·English

by  Anthony Pellegrino, Jeffrey Parker

Teaching and Learning
Through the Holocaust
Thinking About the
Unthinkable
Edited by
Anthony Pellegrino
Jeffrey Parker
Teaching and Learning Through the Holocaust
·
Anthony Pellegrino Jeffrey Parker
Editors
Teaching
and Learning
Through
the Holocaust
Thinking About the Unthinkable
Editors
Anthony Pellegrino Jeffrey Parker
University of Tennessee System Levine Institute for Holocaust
Knoxville, TN, USA Education
Washington, DC, USA
ISBN 978-3-030-72635-5 ISBN 978-3-030-72636-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72636-2
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer
Nature Switzerland AG 2022
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights
of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc.
in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such
namesareexemptfromtherelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreefor
general use.
Thepublisher,theauthors,andtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinforma-
tion in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither
the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with
respecttothematerialcontainedhereinorforanyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeen
made.Thepublisherremainsneutralwithregardtojurisdictionalclaimsinpublishedmaps
and institutional affiliations.
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
To my wife, Karen and children, Acadia and Cole. Thank you for your
love, patience, and understanding. It means more than I can say.
To Anthony for initially proposing this and making it a reality, much
gratitude.
—Jeffrey Parker
I dedicate this work to my amazing wife, Erica and my children, Emmett,
Michael, and Alec. And a special thank you to Jeff for pushing this project
and always coming with important questions.
—Anthony Pellegrino
Acknowledgments
We want to thank our chapter authors for their time, dedication, and
knowledge.Withoutyou,aprojectsuchasthisnevergetsofftheground.
Yourdiverseperspectivesandwillingnesstopushtheboundsofaccepted,
but limiting, practice is inspiring. You make it clear that there is no one
way to teach about and through the Holocaust; instead, you present
multiple pathways to engage with this challenging past in ways that can
help students make meaningful connections.
Jeff would like to thank the friends, colleagues, and scholars who have
challenged, taught, and guided him. You have all had hands in forcing
metoconsider—andreconsider—whythe Holocaustremainsanecessary
topic in schools and how to teach about it. First of all, Anthony Pelle-
grino.Whatstartedoutasa“whatif…”conversationbetweencolleagues
grew into not only a real project, but the formation of a lasting friend-
ship. Kevin Meuwissen and Joanne Larson at the University of Rochester
helped me to see where Holocaust education lies in the wider field of
education. Sondra Perl, Jennifer Lemberg, and Wendy Warren (TOLI)
reminded me of the power of writing and the importance of giving voice
to the thoughts inside; Kristin Thompson (formerly of the USHMM)
who welcomed me into the Museumcommunity and was always there to
supportandencourage.CaraCrandall,CoreyHarbaugh,PeteMashinski,
Brittany Burns, Jennifer Wilson, and John Farris—you are all here in
spiritifnotinword.Inaddition,mycolleagues,GretchenSkidmore,Kim
Blevins-Relleva, Christina Chavarria, David Klevan, Rebecca Erbelding,
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Rebecca Dupas, Paul Salmons, and Jake Newsome were there for forma-
tiveconversationsanduniqueinsights.JennyRichforrespondingtotexts
and way too deep conversations before the sun had even risen. To my
students,forovertwodecadesyouletmeknowthattherewasaneedfor
talking and teaching about the Holocaust in the classroom. You posed
such powerful questions and had insights that made me want to be
a better teacher and learn more so that I could meet your needs. To
my mother, who although you may not have understood my compul-
sion to study some of the darkest chapters of human history, you always
supported me and listened. And finally, thank you is not enough to
encompass the gratitude I feel for my wife Karen, and children, Acadia
and Cole. Your willingness to listen during long walks with the dogs, not
roll your eyes at the dinner table, give me time to think and write when
needed, and encourage me when stuck are incredible gifts.
Forme(Anthony),Holocausteducationhasbeenanimportantpartof
my career as an educator. From my earliest position working with incar-
cerated people where I had the opportunity to explore ways race and
racism manifested in different ways throughout history, to more recent
work helping prospective teachers leverage disciplinary literacy practices
usingprimarysourcetexts,eachexperiencehasallowedfordeeperunder-
standing of the Holocaust and Holocaust education. Each turn has also
ledtomorequestionsaboutapproachesandpractices.Gettingtheoppor-
tunity to work and learn in various capacities at the United States Holo-
caust Memorial Museum (USHMM) has fed the desire to continue
digging. And thankfully meeting Jeff through USHMM has allowed me
to continue to ask questions that are important to me and find ways
to express ideas about them. Jeff has not only shared his vast knowl-
edge, he has also been an ardent friend and collaborator who captures
our thoughts in ways that extend the conversation and keep us grounded
simultaneously. So, thank you for working with me on this project.
I’d also like to acknowledge the support of friend and colleague, Joe
Adragna. In addition to being an incredibly talented musician, Joe is
a remarkable teacher who challenges and encourages me. I can always
count on Joe to help me make sense of an idea or find new ways to
look at a challenge. I look forward to decades more of our friendship
and collaboration.
Finally, my biggest supporter is my wife, Erica. Without her, I am
certain that I would not have the tenacity to engage in this work. Thank
you for always being there…with unconditional love and support.
Contents
1 Introduction: Thinking About the Unthinkable 1
Anthony Pellegrino and Jeffrey Parker
Part I Setting the Educational Context
2 A Conversation About Holocaust Education 11
Alex d’Erizans, Corey Harbaugh, Kimberly Klett,
Jeffrey Parker, and Anthony Pellegrino
3 Mandates on Holocaust and Genocide Education
in the United States 29
Lindsey Stillman
4 The Problem with Hard Histories 61
Jennifer Rich
5 Fathoming National Socialism and the Holocaust:
Historical Empathy and Holocaust Pedagogies 75
Alex d’Erizans
6 Dewey, Democracy, and Holocaust Education 107
Jeffrey Parker
7 An Education Epidemic: What United States
Textbooks (Don’t) Say About the Holocaust 125
Steven Steigerwalt and Gina Pfeiffer
ix
x CONTENTS
Part II Moving Holocaust Education Beyond Traditional
Paradigms
8 Putting in the Pre-work to Teach the Holocaust
for Racial Justice 155
Tiffany Mitchell Patterson
9 Rethinking Holocaust Education with Teacher
Trainers 165
Jennifer Rich
10 False Dichotomy: How STEM and the Humanities
Support Each Other 183
Darby Riley and Cayla Ritz
11 Keeping It Authentic: Harnessing Technology
to Teach the Complexities of the Holocaust 205
Matthew Hensley and Noelle Smith
12 Teaching the Holocaust with Elementary Students
Using Content Area Picture Books 225
Deborah Wooten and Heather Matthews
13 Going Forward 247
Jeffrey Parker and Anthony Pellegrino
Index 255
Notes on Contributors
Alex d’Erizans is Associate Professor of History at the Borough of
ManhattanCommunityCollege,CUNY.AsascholarofmodernEurope,
with a focus on German, Russian, and military history, he wrestles with
the physical and psychological challenges and displacements, as well as
reconfigurationsandreimaginingsofgrass-rootsidentities,resultingfrom
utopianprojectsoftransformation.Hisrecentpublicationsinclude“From
aVibrantCitytoaWarzone”:Shostakovich’s7thSymphonyasaMeansto
FosterHistoricalUnderstandingthroughEmpathy.”TheJournalofSocial
StudiesResearch 42(4):327–343;“SecuringtheGardenandLongingsfor
Heimat in postwar Hanover, 1945–1948.” The Historical Journal 58(1):
183–215.
Matthew Hensley is a Ph.D. candidate studying and researching social
science education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He currently
workswiththeDepartmentofTheoryandPracticeinTeacherEducation
at UTK and supervises preservice social studies teachers’ clinical expe-
riences. His professional experience includes teaching middle and high
school social studies and working as a K-12 museum educator. He is
entranced by all things social studies. His research and teaching interests
include alternative best practices in teaching and learning social studies,
experiential learning, and exploring educational technology to enrich
learning for teachers and students.
xi