Baruch Spergel - February 4, 2008
Thoughts on Holocaust Education
Um, there's been a l...you've said there's been a change-there's been a lot of interest in, in the Holocaust in the last 20, 25 years...
ZF: Yes, that's true.
Movies...
ZF: Yes.
...Academy Award winning movies, plays...
ZF: Yes.
...books. Um, do you think it's a, it's good idea that it becomes so popular a subject?
ZF: Well, I think there should be a, a record of the subject. I think, you know, you can overdo things so people are fed up with hearing and when you get fed up with something then you lose-it becomes-how shall I say? An everyday thing-sort of, you don't want to hear anymore about it. Uh, that's the danger of talking too much. But I think there should be a record of, of, of what happened...
I agree.
ZF: ...and, and...
BS: There are many...
ZF: What?
I agree.
ZF: Yes.
BS: There are many, there are many records.
ZF: I would even-I, I know that the museums today they are changing and maybe the attitude of learning is changing or maybe the children here today from Israel that-you have groups that go down to Auschwitz and um, there-I don't know how to say-you can't explain the Holocaust. You can't-you have to give people this feeling of absolute lack of control; that you are a nothing. And how do you transform this to the children this terrible thing that people have been through and that it should be avoided, I mean, for the future? How do you bring this about-this education without talking about the Holocaust so much? You know, that's-finding the balance in ???.
That's right.
ZF: I think that is the problem: in what way to do it. Maybe to put you, put you in the situation-there's a marvelous film. I don't know-it was called The Wave. Do you know-remember that one?
I do know that one.
ZF: Yeah, you do know that one. But I thou...
BS: I often...
ZF: Do you know that one?
BS: I, I often wonder what do they teach in history in Germany?
ZF: It, it gives you a feeling how things can happen...
BS: What do they say about history...
ZF: ...of how slowly and if you're not vigilant-if you don't pay attention then before you know we have another disaster.
BS: ...the recent history? ??? I don't know how you can explain to the children what, what the Nazis had done-what they-their leaders and their fathers-forefathers-grandfathers had done. How do you explain this to children?
They do. They teach it...
BS: Hmm.
...they teach it in Germany.
BS: They do?
ZF: What? Now?
They teach about the Holocaust in Germany.
ZF: They didn't...
Oh, they didn't?
ZF: ...during the Communist years they didn't.
Oh, no. They didn't. Not for a good 25 years they didn't and, uh...
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