CANADA RESPONDS TO THE HOLOCAUST, 1944-1945 Workshop October 2016 - March 31, 2017 Instructions for Docents
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION Canada Responds to the Holocaust, 1944-1945 OBJECTIVES This workshop is comprised of two parts: In part 1 students will examine the interactions between Canadian military personnel and aid workers with survivors when they encountered the Nazi camps Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen. They will learn about: The differences between the camps Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen The challenges the Canadians faced when first encountering the camps and after liberation In part 2 of the workshop, students gain a critical understanding of: The Homefront and Jewish Immigration to Canada, especially during and after Second World War The attitudes towards Jewish immigrants at the time Antisemitism and racism Through the analysis of historical documents, photographs and visual materials, students will develop awareness of historical context; develop critical thinking skills and enhance their observation and interpretive skills. NOTE: If the class did not have the tour prior to the workshop, introduce them to the exhibition topic before you start the workshop. Introduction Exhibition: Canada Responds to the Holocaust, 1944-45 Today you will learn about the Canadians who participated in the Allied campaigns in Europe. This exhibit s focus is on the close of the Second World War and on the immediate postwar era, with particular emphasis on the liberation of the concentration camps and the interactions between the liberators and the survivors of Hitler s genocide. Complex emotions and circumstances arose that characterized the immediate post-war
period, as survivors had to come to terms with their loss and with the need to plan for their futures. We will meet the men and women of the Canadian military who participated in the Allied campaigns in Europe, as well as Canadian chaplains, journalists, photographers, war artists, medical professionals and relief workers. We will witness how their encounters, often with concentration camp survivors, changed who they were. Part 1: Nazi Camps Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen Time: 25 minutes Instructions for Docent 1) Instruct the students to form groups of 2. If there is one student left, let them form a group of 3. Each group should choose one person who writes down the answers 2) Hand out the worksheets to each group 3) Go over the following instructions with the students: Your worksheet is comprised of different sections about the Nazi camps, Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen Each section consists of information and study documents such as an excerpt from a comic graphic novel, testimonies, historical documents and photographs, followed by questions The information section is marked with a reading symbol Please read the information and documents carefully and then answer the questions that follow The total time for this assignment is 20 minutes Afterwards, I will ask you some questions that will help you reflect what you learned; this will take 5 minutes 4) Questions for reflection with class: You learned about the camps Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen, who was imprisoned and what happened to them. -Q: How would you explain to a friend what happened to people in these camps in your own words? - Q: What touched you most about Westerbork? - Q: What touched you most about Bergen-Belsen?
Part 2 Homefront and Jewish Immigration to Canada Time: 20 minutes Instructions for Docents 1) Direct the students attention to the second part of their work sheet. Ask a student to read the facts about Jewish immigration to Canada out loud 2) Ask them to read the comic excerpt 3) Engage the students with the following questions: Q: What did you learn about Canadian immigration policy from 1933-1945? Q: What does the Gallup poll tell you about Canadian attitude towards Jews? Q: What argument does the person in the graphic novel state for letting Jewish refugees from Europe immigrate to Canada? Q: What argument does the person in the graphic novel state against the immigration of Jewish refugees to Canada? Q: What would you have said to the person in the train who is against the immigration of Jews to Canada? Q: Did you come across similar discussions as illustrated in the graphic novel in public? If so, can you explain to your classmates?
Student Study Document Jewish Immigration to Canada - Canada admitted only 5,000-8,000 Jews from 1933-1945, the worst record of any large non-european country - A Gallup poll* on immigration was released in October 1946. The results were: 60% of Canadians ranked the Japanese as the least desirable immigrants; 49% then indicated that they did not want Jewish immigration; At that time, Canadians much preferred Germans over Jews as immigrants. - While images and stories appeared in the mainstream press with the liberation of the horror camps such as Bergen-Belsen and Dachau, the media rarely pointed out that the victims were largely Jews. - Immigration restrictions did not ease up until two years after the war. By then it was clear that Canadian factories needed workers, and that Canada needed to show some sort of humanitarian gesture in response to the images and stories coming out of Europe. - Between 1947 and 1955, about 35,000 survivors arrived in Canada, plus their dependents. They would have a major impact on the Canadian Jewish community. *an assessment of public opinion by the questioning of a statistically representative sample
Excerpt from Comic by Colin Upton, Kicking at the Darkness (2016), page 22