More Than a Textbook: The Impact of Survivors on Holocaust Education

This project explores the importance of Holocaust education, and the need for a balance of survivor testimony and history in order to effectively educate students and inspire action. At the center of the analysis is the role of the survivor's testimony in the education process. The project discusses the use of Holocaust survivor testimony, and the problems with Holocaust survivor testimony, and how the intersection of oral testimony and education can successfully be utilized to introduce an emotional component in historical education. Holocaust survivors are passing away, and the current generation of students will most likely be the last to have the opportunity to directly interact with a Holocaust survivor. Students need to learn the important lessons that only Holocaust survivors can teach. The project consists of a research paper, journal, and documentary, and all three of these elements work together to communicate the importance of Holocaust survivors and Holocaust education. The core lessons learned from Holocaust survivors and Holocaust education cannot only be applied to better understand the Holocaust, but also to better understand past and current genocides.