The Holocaust and
Nazi Persecution: An
HMD 2014 Assembly for
Key Stage 3
This assembly has been designed for secondary school students in Key Stage 3
(school years 7 to 9, ages 11 to 14) and ideally would take place on 27 January –
Holocaust Memorial Day. It focuses on the Nazi persecution of disabled people –
please ensure that it is sensitive to your student group and that any additional
support or amendments for your SEN students are in place.
It is recommended that you read the whole of this assembly and look through the
accompanying PowerPoint presentation in advance, so that you can tailor the
assembly to your students: you know your students best.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has produced lesson plans on the Holocaust –
and subsequent genocides – which you may wish to use prior to or after this
assembly. You can find these here: hmd.org.uk/education2014lessonplans
You will need:
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equipment to display the accompanying PowerPoint presentation – please
test this before the assembly begins!
five students (or colleagues) to read the assembly (noted here as A, B, C,
D and E). You should probably ask the students to read through this in
advance so they can practise what they are going to say.
someone to click through to the next slide – please ask them to have a
practice in advance!
Slide 1
A to read:
Today is 27 January: Holocaust Memorial Day. This is the day for everyone to
remember the millions of people killed in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and
in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
On this day we can honour the survivors of these regimes and challenge ourselves
to use the lessons of their experience to help create a safer, better future.
Slide 2
B to read:
Holocaust Memorial Day is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and
to recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own, it’s a steady process
which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented.
We’re fortunate here in the UK; we are not at risk of genocide. However,
discrimination has not ended, nor has the use of the language of hatred or exclusion.
There is still much to do to create a safer future and Holocaust Memorial Day is an
opportunity to start this process.
Slide 3
C to read:
Journeys is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2014. Journeys themselves
were experiences of persecution and terror for many of the people who suffered in
the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in the subsequent genocides.
Slide 4
D to read:
As part of Holocaust Memorial Day, we are asking everyone to take a step on their
own journey to remember the journeys that millions of people were forced on when
genocide took place. We are asking you to take a step by learning the lessons of
the past and using them to help to create a safer, better future for everyone. Before
you decide what step to take, we’d like to tell you the story of one man’s journey
and the step he took.
Slide 5
E to read:
This is a photo of Berge Kanikanian. Berge was born in England and has learning
difficulties. Berge took a leadership course for people with disabilities and they
talked about hate crime and the Holocaust. This inspired him to make a make a film
about Aktion T4, the Nazi programme which murdered German citizens who had
mental or physical disabilities. Berge travelled to Poland and Germany, to the
persecution sites. Here are some photos of him at Hadamar, one of the killing
centres.
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Slide 6 and 7
A to read:
It is estimated that close to 250,000 disabled people were murdered under the Nazi
regime. Under a secret plan code named ‘T4’, after the address of the programme’s
central office at 4 Tiergartenstrasse Berlin, records of disabled people were
examined by experts who decided whether individuals should live or die.
Initially people were killed with lethal injection or starvation but this was not quick
enough and so six killing centres were established to speed up the process, and
thousands of disabled people were killed in gas chambers disguised as shower
rooms.
The model used for killing disabled people was later used in Nazi extermination
camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, to kill other groups that the Nazis oppressed.
B to read:
Some parts of making the film were a challenge for Berge, particularly the long
interviews which were in German or Polish. But Berge was determined to raise
awareness of the Nazi persecution of people with disabilities. He wanted to teach
people, politicians, the police, students and social workers about hate crime and to
show that people with disabilities can have a better quality of life and more
opportunities.
C to read:
Berge went on a journey and took a step, out of his comfort zone, to make a film and
raise awareness about the Nazi persecution of disabled people. The Nazis tried to
remove disabled people from their communities and from German society. Berge
shows that disabled people can be an inspiration for others. What step will you take,
will we take today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, to remember the victims and honour
the survivors of the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and subsequent genocides?
There is now an opportunity for your students to take part in a collective step –
perhaps you could light a candle, perhaps you could hold a minute’s silence to
remember those who did not survive. If you choose this option, add a
sentence such as:
D to read: Let us now take a step together to remember, to honour, to start our own
journey. We are going to light a candle and hold a minute’s silence.
Thank you.
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WHAT NEXT:
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Please encourage your students to take a step. This could be something
done collectively, in the classroom, or could be done individually. Please
encourage your students to record their action online: journeys.hmd.org.uk
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There are lesson plans and more assemblies on the Holocaust, and the
subsequent genocides available on the HMDT website:
hmd.org.uk/education2014lessonplans
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To read Berge’s full life story: http://www.hmd.org.uk/resources/stories/hmd2014-berge-kanikanian
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For more information on the Nazi treatment of disabled people:
http://www.hmd.org.uk/genocides/disabled-people
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For more information on the T4 programme:
http://www.hmd.org.uk/education/case-study-t4-euthanasia-programme
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To read other life stories that involve Journeys that were undertaken as part
of a genocide: hmd.org.uk/journeyslifestories
This resource has been produced with the support and co-operation of
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