INSIDE WORDS
The terms Holocaust and Shoah are commonly used to design the extermination
of Jewish people in Europe during World War II.
In Greek language, the term Holocaust translates “olah” which is the Hebrew
sacrifice meaning raising.
“Holocaust” referred to an animal that, once killed, was burned on an altar so that
the smoke rising could “please the Holy Lord”
On the other hand, the word Shoah has a totally different meaning as in fact, in
the biblical vocabulary, it is deeply connected to the idea of a destructive storm,
meaning a sudden and unexpected calamity.
Because of this positive religious connotation connected to the term “Holocaust”,
Jewish people do not accept its use to define the extermination of their race
occurred during World War II and prefer, instead, the term Shoah which has in
itself a negative connotation meaning an event which struck as an hurricane or a
storm.
SOCIAL
ADDRESS
FOSSANO CN
Italy
CONTACTS
info@vbstudio.net
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE?
The whole lesson develops around the leitmotif: ” Who could have ignored”
Through the analysis of the undeniable responsibilities of the SS troops and of the
Nazi regime towards the shoah and also of the thousands of murders of non-Jewish
prisoners, this lesson aims at helping students to reflect over this terrible tragedy
that could probably have been stopped far earlier, so reducing its entity.
Through witnesses and documentations it will be underlined how all what was
happening inside the extermination camps was known not only by German people,
but also by several international organisations and by the Allies too.
The dept studies are seen as a useful corollary to the lesson:
Nuremberg Trial and Negationism: the opposite ractions to the shoah
Nazi eugenics – Aktion T4 – project Lebersborn: the regrettably logic link with the
shoah and the “ethnic cleancing” imposed by Germany during Hitler regime.
Lesson attended by the classes V° A Mec. and V° B lssa
- The students of the class Vª A Mec: Baricalla Lorenzo, Bongioanni Michele, Chiappetta Jacopo, Costamagna Giorgio, Di Salvio
Marco, Fea Simone, Galfione Carlo, Manassero Francesco, Picco Tommaso
- The students of the class Vª B Lssa: Bernardi Lisa, Giobbio Anna, Picco Marco, Primatesta Elena, Reineri Marco,
Viglietta Thomas
cooperated in the translation of the English version
Special thanks to the English teacher Angela Fruttero and graduated in English language
Alessandra Vatasso for their supervision in all the translations
LESSON CREATED BY BLANGINO VILMA AND VATASSO MIRELLA
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF RUSSO BALDO
The vision of the two shortfilms suggests the students look on this question:
how many people could have known about the existence of the lager? and what had happened inside?
… but there is someone who denies the Shoah!
20th November 1945:
the Nuremberg trial against the Nazis crimes starts…
The assumptions of the eugenics in Hitler’s Germany
The plan for disabled people elimination
The program for the creation of a “racial purity”
THE NUREMBERG TRIAL
THE NEGATIONIS
THE EUGENICS
THE AKTION T4 PROGRAM
THE LEBENSBORN PROJECT
WERE THERE ANY PEOPLE WHO COULDN’T KNOW?
Boundary line
From Vichy’s France, through the Alps, a group of Jews took refuge in the Gesso’s
valley, next to Borgo San Dalmazzo, Entracque e Valdieri.
We are in Rome, in a time that has precise coordinates: October 16th, 1943.
The Nazis occupy the Italian capital. It is Saturday, holy day for Jews. At dawn, 5:15 am,
a hundred of armed German soldiers surround the Jewish ghetto and capture 1024
people, among them two hundred children. Two days later, the Jews, locked in
eighteen sealed train wagons, are deported to Auschwitz from the Tiburtina station.
This short film won the regional stage of the national competition "Young people
meet the Shoah" in school year 2013/2014.
(Translated and played by the students of the class V°inf. B school year 2013-2014 under
the supervision of the English teacher Anna Bruno).
From the "résidence forcée" of St. Martin Vesubie, in Vichy’s France, the night
between 8th and 9th September 1943, a thousand, a thousand two hundred
German, Polish- French and Dutch Jews, climbed the Alps along the routes of the
Italian soldiers’ IV Army, reaching a safe place in Val Gesso (CN). In the small villages
of Borgo San Dalmazzo, Entracque and Valdieri, thanks to the courage and humanity
of the inhabitants, they experienced a flash of welcoming and solidarity before their
deportation to Auschwitz. During the celebration of the International Holocaust
Remembrance Day, at the Quirinal Palace on 27th January 2013, the President of
the Italian Republic awarded this short film, that took part to the National
Competition "Young people meet the Shoah”, with a special mention. (Fully
translated and played by Thomas Viglietta of the class V° B Lssa school year 2015–16)
The word “Jew” dates back to the Egyptians archives
The word “Jew” arises from the Semitic word "ever" which means "the one who crosses" or "the one who move on".
According to someone, the meaning "nomad" could be hidden behind this name, according to others it could come from the expression "ever a Jarden", "beyond the
Jordan". According to the rabbinic legislation only someone born from a Jewish mother is a Jew, but Jewish identity may include ethnic, cultural, religious …..
characteristics . It is difficult, therefore, to draw a clear distinction between Judaism, Jewish Culture, Jewish Identity
WHO ARE THE JEWS THEREFORE ?
A religion?
• daily life is, no doubt, marked by religious practices, but also those who,
over the years, had moved away from them remain Jew.
A culture?
• Doubtless, Jews share the study of the Bible, but the Bible is the most widely read
book in the world and its reading has been shared by other civilizations too.
A people?
• Of course, Jewish people are ideally united around a common faith and shares
common religious practices, but they are spread in larger or smaller groups all over
the world. In Israel itself, whose constitution dates 1948, Israel's population is
made up of citizens of all religions, including Muslims and Christians.
A race?
• given that it is hard and controversial to apply the concept of race within
the human beings, Jews show so many different somatic characteristics that
it is impossible to recognize one only “Jewish type”. There are the dark-skinned,
wavy hair YEMENIS, the FALASHAS from Ethiopia, the yellow skin and slanted eyes KAIFENG, the SEPHARDIM of Spain origin, the ASHKENAZI of German origin.
Therefore the answer to the question "who are the Jews" cannot be a homogeneous one, but it turns out to be a variety of often conflictual proposals, spies of a
mixture perceived as a richness rather than as an obstacle.
The moving back of a part of the Jews in the State of Israel after 1948, together with the secular thought of the so-called "Jewish Enlightenment" has fostered a
number of rethinks on the Jew identity in which today they recognize themselves:
The ULTRA-ORTHODOX or HAREDIM perceive themselves as the true
custodians of religious purity, they have negotiated with the State of Israel
a private education system, and have obtained the exemption from military
service. The secular Israel perceives them as a burden or a threat, because
the HAREDIM (those who tremble facing God word) live in a separate area
from the rest of the community rejecting all forms of modernity and all
involvement and cooperation with institutions
The MODERN ORTHODOX represent a movement promoting a synthesis
between Jewish law and the modern world, determining cooperative
relationships and interactions with the State of Israel. The modern
orthodoxy assigns a central role to the "people of Israel" in which detects
a religious and political force
The Liberal or Reform Judaism is a modern form of Judaism combining
tradition and innovation. Among the fundamental principles the absolute
equality of women in all areas of Jewish life and the acceptance of
homosexuality.
The Zionist Judaism is a political-religious movement which has developed
as an answer to the European anti-Semitism aiming at rebuilding, in
Palestine, a country offering to the Jews community spread around the
world a common homeland. On May 15th , 1948 the proclamation of the
State of Israel underlined the success of the movement. The Star of David
is the symbol of Zionism, the term comes from Zion, the biblical name of
the hill where the temple of Jerusalem has been erected.
Some statistics
It is estimated that, today, there are about 13 million Jews around the world,
4,500,000 of which in the State of Israel, 5,500,000 in the US, 2,000,000 in Europe and South Africa
Moments captured, in Israel, by prof.ssa Vatasso Mirella
By prof.ssa Vatasso Mirella
Gordon J. Horwitz: “All’ ombra della morte” - Edition: Marsilio storia, 2004
“Il campo di sterminio di Mathausen: 57555” - Association Roberto Camerani
“Sterminio e affari: la grande industria tedesca e lo sfruttamento dei lager”. - www.senzasoste.it
“I lager e l’industria tedesca” by prof. Francesco Maria Feltri in Percorsi di cittadinanza. Emilia Romagna - Italy
“I sommersi e i salvati”: Primo Levi - Editions: Einaudi
“Progetto T4: lo sterminio dei disabili”, by Michele Pacciano
“I Nazisti e l’ Aktion T4: il programma di eutanasia per l’ eliminazione dei disabili e dei malati incurabili”, by Giorgio Giannini
Valentina Pisanty: “Abusi di memoria. Negare, banalizzare, sacralizzare la Shoah”. - Editions: Bruno Mondadori in 2012
K. Ericsson e S. Simonsen: "I Figli di Hitler”
Heidenreich Gisela: “In nome della razza ariana”. - Boroli Editore
Photo in Home page represents a group of Jews that comes out of the ghetto of Warsaw (insurrection of 1943) - It’s taken by “Stroop report”
Dawn of darkness
The dramatic Jews hunting occurred on the 16th October 1943 in Rome ghetto.
SOCIAL
ADDRESS
FOSSANO - Italy
CONTACT
info@vbstudio.net
INSIDE WORDS
The terms Holocaust and Shoah are commonly used to
design the extermination of Jewish people in Europe
during World War II.
In Greek language, the term Holocaust translates “olah”
which is the Hebrew sacrifice meaning raising.
“Holocaust” referred to an animal that, once killed, was
burned on an altar so that the smoke rising could “please
the Holy Lord”
On the other hand, the word Shoah has a totally different
meaning as in fact, in the biblical vocabulary, it is deeply
connected to the idea of a destructive storm, meaning a
sudden and unexpected calamity.
Because of this positive religious connotation connected to
the term “Holocaust”, Jewish people do not accept its use
to define the extermination of their race occurred during
World War II and prefer, instead, the term Shoah which
has in itself a negative connotation meaning an event
which struck as an hurricane or a storm.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE?
The whole lesson develops around the leitmotif: ” Who
could have ignored”
Through the analysis of the undeniable responsibilities of
the SS troops and of the Nazi regime towards the shoah and
also of the thousands of murders of non-Jewish prisoners,
this lesson aims at helping students to reflect over this
terrible tragedy that could probably have been stopped far
earlier, so reducing its entity.
Through witnesses and documentations it will be underlined
how all what was happening inside the extermination camps
was known not only by German people, but also by several
international organisations and by the Allies too.
The dept studies are seen as a useful corollary to the lesson:
Nuremberg Trial and Negationism: the opposite ractions
to the shoah
Nazi eugenics – Aktion T4 – project Lebersborn: the
regrettably logic link with the shoah and the “ethnic
cleancing” imposed by Germany during Hitler regime.
The holocaust is the attempt to
eliminate the so-called “inferior”
races and people,
the Aktion T4‘s aim is to kill “the
lives that weren’t worthy to be
lived”,
Lebensborn project represents the
plan to create a superior race.
Lesson attended by the classes
V° A Mec. and V° B lssa
- The students of the class Vª A Mec:
Baricalla Lorenzo, Bongioanni Michele,
Chiappetta Jacopo, Costamagna Giorgio, Di
Salvio Marco, Fea Simone, Galfione Carlo,
Manassero Francesco, Picco Tommaso
- The students of the class Vª B Lssa:
Bernardi Lisa, Giobbio Anna, Picco Marco,
Primatesta Elena, Reineri Marco,
Viglietta Thomas
cooperated in the translation of
the English version
Special thanks to the English
teacher Angela Fruttero and
graduated in English language
Alessandra Vatasso for their
supervision in all the translations
LESSON CREATED BY BLANGINO VILMA AND
VATASSO MIRELLA
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF RUSSO BALDO
THE NUREMBERG TRIAL
THE NEGATIONISM
THE EUGENICS
By prof.ssa Vatasso Mirella
The word “Jew” dates back to the Egyptians archives
The word “Jew” arises from the Semitic word "ever" which
means "the one who crosses" or "the one who move on".
According to someone, the meaning "nomad" could be
hidden behind this name, according to others it could
come from the expression "ever a Jarden", "beyond the
Jordan". According to the rabbinic legislation only someone
born from a Jewish mother is a Jew, but Jewish identity may
include ethnic, cultural, religious ….. characteristics .
It is difficult, therefore, to draw a clear distinction between
Judaism, Jewish Culture, Jewish Identity
WHO ARE THE JEWS THEREFORE ?
A religion?
• daily life is, no doubt, marked by religious practices, but
also those who, over the years, had moved away from
them remain Jew.
A culture?
• Doubtless, Jews
share the study of
the Bible, but the
Bible is the most
widely read book in
the world and its
reading has been
shared by other
civilizations too.
A people?
• Of course, Jewish people are ideally united around a
common faith and shares common religious practices,
but they are spread in larger or smaller groups all over
the world. In Israel itself, whose constitution dates 1948,
Israel's population is made up of citizens of all religions,
including Muslims and Christians.
A race?
• given that it is hard and controversial to apply the
concept of race within the human beings, Jews show so
many different somatic characteristics that it is
impossible to recognize one only “Jewish type”. There
are the dark-skinned, wavy hair YEMENIS, the FALASHAS
from Ethiopia, the yellow skin and slanted eyes KAIFENG,
the SEPHARDIM of Spain origin, the ASHKENAZI of
German origin.
Therefore the answer to the question "who are the Jews"
cannot be a homogeneous one, but it turns out to be a
variety of often conflictual proposals, spies of a mixture
perceived as a richness rather than as an obstacle.
The moving back of a part of the Jews in the State of Israel
after 1948, together with the secular thought of the
so-called "Jewish Enlightenment" has fostered a number
of rethinks on the Jew identity in which today they
recognize themselves:
The ULTRA-ORTHODOX or HAREDIM perceive themselves
as the true custodians of religious purity, they have
negotiated with the State of Israel a private education
system, and have obtained the exemption from military
service. The secular Israel perceives them as a burden or a
threat, because the HAREDIM (those who tremble facing
God word) live in a separate area from the rest of the
community rejecting all forms of modernity and all
involvement and cooperation with institutions.
The MODERN ORTHODOX represent a movement
promoting a synthesis between Jewish law and the modern
world, determining cooperative relationships and
interactions with the State of Israel. The modern orthodoxy
assigns a central role to the "people of Israel" in which
detects a religious and political force.
The Liberal or Reform Judaism is a modern form of
Judaism combining tradition and innovation. Among the
fundamental principles the absolute equality of women in
all areas of Jewish life and the acceptance of homosexuality.
The Zionist Judaism is a political-religious movement
which has developed as an answer to the European
anti-Semitism aiming at rebuilding, in Palestine, a country
offering to the Jews community spread around the world a
common homeland. On May 15th , 1948 the proclamation
of the State of Israel underlined the success of the
movement. The Star of David is the symbol of Zionism, the
term comes from Zion, the biblical name of the hill where
the temple of Jerusalem has been erected.
Some statistics
It is estimated that, today, there are about 13 million Jews
around the world, 4,500,000 of which in the State of Israel,
5,500,000 in the US, 2,000,000 in Europe and South Africa.
Moments captured, in Israel, by prof.ssa Vatasso Mirella
Gordon J. Horwitz: “All’ ombra della morte”
- Edition: Marsilio storia, 2004
“Il campo di sterminio di Mathausen: 57555”
- Association Roberto Camerani
“Sterminio e affari: la grande industria tedesca e lo
sfruttamento dei lager”. - www.senzasoste.it
“I lager e l’industria tedesca”
by prof. Francesco Maria Feltri in Percorsi di
cittadinanza. Emilia Romagna
“I sommersi e i salvati”: Primo Levi
- Edizioni: Einaudi
“Progetto T4: lo sterminio dei disabili”,
by Michele Pacciano
“I Nazisti e l’ Aktion T4: il programma di eutanasia
per l’ eliminazione dei disabili e dei malati
incurabili”, by Giorgio Giannini
Valentina Pisanty: “Abusi di memoria. Negare,
banalizzare, sacralizzare la Shoah”.
- Editions: Bruno Mondadori nel 2012
K. Ericsson e S. Simonsen: "I Figli di Hitler”
Heidenreich Gisela: “In nome della razza ariana”.
- Boroli Edition
Photo in Home page represents a group of Jews that
comes out of the ghetto of Warsaw (insurrection of
1943) - It’s taken by “Stroop report”
WERE THERE ANY PEOPLE WHO COULDN’T KNOW?
20th November 1945:
the Nuremberg trial against the Nazis crimes starts…
The assumptions of the eugenics in the Hitler’s Germany
THE AKTION T4 PROGRAM
THE LEBENSBORN PROJECT
Dawn of darkness
The dramatic Jews hunting occurred on the 16th October 1943
in Rome ghetto.
We are in Rome, in a time that has precise coordinates: October
16th, 1943. The Nazis occupy the Italian capital. It is Saturday,
holy day for Jews. At dawn, 5:15 am, a hundred of armed German
soldiers surround the Jewish ghetto and capture 1024 people,
among them two hundred children. Two days later, the Jews,
locked in eighteen sealed train wagons, are deported to
Auschwitz from the Tiburtina station.
This short film won the
regional stage of the national competition "Young people meet
the Shoah" in school year 2013/2014.
(Translated and played by
the students of the class V°inf. B school year 2013-2014 under
the supervision of the English teacher Anna Bruno).
Boundary line
From Vichy’s France, through the Alps, a group of Jews took
refuge in the Gesso’s valley, next to Borgo San Dalmazzo,
Entracque e Valdieri.
From the "résidence forcée" of St. Martin Vesubie, in Vichy’s
France, the night between 8th and 9th September 1943, a
thousand, a thousand two hundred German, Polish- French and
Dutch Jews, climbed the Alps along the routes of the Italian
soldiers’ IV Army, reaching a safe place in Val Gesso (CN). In the
small villages of Borgo San Dalmazzo, Entracque and Valdieri,
thanks to the courage and humanity of the inhabitants, they
experienced a flash of welcoming and solidarity before their
deportation to Auschwitz. During the celebration of the
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Quirinal
Palace on 27th January 2013, the President of the Italian
Republic awarded this short film, that took part to the National
Competition "Young people meet the Shoah”, with a special
mention. (Fully translated and played by Thomas Viglietta of the
class V° B Lssa school year 2015–16)
The vision of the two shortfilms suggests the students look
on this question: how many people could have known about
the existence of the lager? and what had happened inside?
… but there is someone who denies the Shoah!
The plan for disabled people elimination
The program for the creation of a “racial purity”
Studing History Today
