STUDENTS
Resources for National History Day Projects are below. Click on the button for Holocaust related book reviews and recommendations.
Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events 2024 Theme
What makes a decision or action a turning point? A change takes place in society that alters the status quo. The Holocaust itself was an event that changed the way people understood war and war crimes. The risks that individuals took to help changed the expectations of governments and people.
*Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
*Rebellion in Auschwitz, 1944
*Response of the United States to calls for aid
*Nuremberg Laws
*Nuremberg Trials
*Defining Genocide - United Nations
*ZyklonB: Pesticide to Murder Weapon
*The Yellow Star as a label
Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
*Appeasement
Debates may or may not result in successful conclusions. Diplomacy may or may not result in successful compromises. Governments and individuals struggled with the circumstances of the Holocaust.
Innovation in History: Impact and Change
WWII was a moment of great innovation regarding how war was conducted. Medical advancements and horrific methods of destruction both were seen throughout the war years.
Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History
An encompassing theme, the Holocaust period offers a variety of topics to explore. Literal revolution in the form of rebellion; the reactions of perpetrators and victims; and the changes made because of those actions
* Mel Mermelstein "By Bread Alone"
*Wilhelm Brasse "The Auschwitz Photographer
The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies
The ideal theme to highlight the many figures involved in the Holocaust. Survivors, victims, bystanders, oppressors, resisters, and supporters played integral parts in the Holocaust. Explore their actions - or inactions - and the legacies left behind.
*Raoul Wallenberg
*The targeting of the Jews by the Nazis
Rights and Responsibilities in History
What makes a decision or action a turning point? A change takes place in society that alters the status quo. The Holocaust itself was an event that changed the way people understood war and war crimes. The risks that individuals took to help changed the expectations of governments and people.
*The right to freedom of person and expression
*The responsibility of government to protect citizens
Leadership and Legacy in History
Choices made by governments had incredible impact on the lives of millions. Individuals took the reins of leadership in both large and small capacities. They left behind new definitions and expectations.
*Refusal to allow the docking of the St. Louis
* Brazilian ambassador, Luis Martins de Souza Dantas
Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History
The Holocaust was an encounter like no other.
Taking a Stand in History
Many people took a stand during the Holocaust. Not all of them were successful, but all were examples of determination and strength. The importance of being willing to speak to a position, especially when the outcome is unknown, cannot be discounted.
*Ambassadors granting visas for immigration
*Newspapers sharing the news of the Holocaust
*"The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club" by Phillip Hoose
Conflict and Compromise in History
The Holocaust was a conflict that did not evidence compromise at a base level. Compromise requires the giving up of something by both parties. Can a conflict be solved without compromise?
*Mel Mermelstein "By Bread Alone"
*Wilhelm Brasse "The Auschwitz Photographer"
*Joe Alexander -survivor
Triumph and Tragedy in History
The Holocaust is both a triumph and a tragedy. The tragedy is the well-known story. Millions of lives lost and millions more families effected with loss and deprivation. Yet it is also a story of triumph for those who survived and went forward to make change, find new families, and tell the story to teach future generations.
Breaking Barriers in History
The status quo can limit individuals and groups from achieving goals and dreams. It takes great effort to change expectations to allow for a different future.
*Judy Batalion “The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos”
Communication in History: The Key to Understanding
Did anyone listen? Did anyone hear? The news about what was happening in the camps to the Jews and others was not hidden, but was it communicated well enough to inspire action? That question can be answered with a qualified no; how did communication fail?
*Newspaper accounts of the atrocities happening in Europe in the early 1930s and the response (or lack thereof) by world powers.
Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas
A frontier is an edge - what edges were walked during the Holocaust? The camps were places on the edge; a place of ultimate distance from life as it was known. Expectations of human behavior were on a knife-edge as the idea of humanity was redefined.