Elizabeth Karogi

Professor Wertz-Orbaugh
UWRT 1102
13 January 2015
My Holocaust Education
I would describe my Holocaust education as being pretty solid. I started
learning about the Holocaust in 6th grade and from them on I learned a little more
about in almost every history class I took. I have always been interested in human
history; in particular, wars and the causes of war so I usually paid special attention
in class when we learned about WWII.
The first time formally I learned about the Holocaust was during my 6th grade
homeroom class. At the time, I had heard of the Holocaust but did not know what it
was exactly. I remember my teacher telling us stories of an evil man named Adolf
Hitler who decided to kill anybody he did not consider worthy. I learned that he had
killed nearly six million Jews and nearly five million non-Jewish people. I could not
fathom why anyone would do that to a fellow human being.
My teacher had us do a special project in order for us to learn more about
human cruelty. She told everybody to bring to class a pair of shoes that we did not
mind losing. When we had brought the shoes, she told us to tie the laces together
and throw them in a pile. She then proceeded to teach us about extermination
camps and how large numbers of people were murdered. Now that I look back, that
is by far the most painful lesson I have ever learned. Because one has to admit, that
is some heavy stuff to teach to children.

High school was the place I improved upon my elementary level knowledge of
the Holocaust. I took AP European History and a world genocide class. In my AP
European History class, I learned about Hitlers rise to power. I was surprised to
learn the fact that he beat the system by using it instead of overpowering it. I also
learned about the history leading up to the Holocaust. Germany was in such a
terrible state that they were just looking for someone to point fingers at. It was
horrible to learn how the country succumbed to Hitlers promises and anti-Semitic
propaganda.
My world genocide class was where I learned the whole story of the
Holocaust. In this class I learned how it all began. I learned about Hitlers life from
his and how it affected his view of the world. I learned about his experiences as a
runner and his young artist days.. I learned about his rise to power and how he
undermined democracy.
I learned how he began the persecution of those he perceived as unworthy of
life. His regime took people with mental and physical disabilities and killed them off,
lying to their families about how they died. He used very good propaganda to
convince the general population to turn a blind eye to his actions.
I learned how he slowly began the persecution of the Jewish people. When
the Nuremburg Laws came to be, they stripped people with Jewish descent their
civil liberties. Many Jewish professionals such as lawyers, doctors, musicians, and
civil servants lost their right to practice their professions. Growing anti-Semitism led
to Kristallnacht: a night where Brownshirts and non-Jewish civilians attacked and
destroyed many Jewish-owned buildings and places of worship. I learned many

things in this classroom that if I were to talk about everything I learned this paper
would be at least fifty pages.
I have read several novels on the Holocaust. Elie Wiesels Night is by far my
most favorite. I have a faint recollection of reading Anne Franks diary. I enjoyed
seeing the movie Schindler's List. I also watched and enjoyed Inglorious Basterds,
much to the annoyance of my AP Euro teacher.
I hope to learn more about the Holocaust in this class. I feel that although
history is prone to repeat itself, it doesnt mean we shouldnt study it.