Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education

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Leading a Trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Pre- and Post-Trip Suggestions

The intense nature of a trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, both educationally and emotionally, suggests that a pre-trip orientation and post-trip discussion and/or activities may help group members better process what they have learned and experienced. Each visitor’s unique response to the Museum, in combination with others’ post-trip observations, provides a rich stimulation to further learning about the Holocaust.

Pre-Trip

Orientation Session:

1. Explain the background of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), including why it is located in Washington, D.C.
2. Review the significance of the architecture of the Museum. The one-hour film, For the Living, chronicles the creation, building and design of the Museum.
3. Explain the organization of the Museum by floors and what exhibits the visitor can expect to see.
4. Students/group members should be told the trip is an intense emotional experience and that reactions will vary from person to person.

Suggestions for Pre-trip Educational Programing:
For trips which are not involved in an ongoing course on the Holocaust, the teacher/group leader might refer to Teaching about the Holocaust: A Resource Book for Educators, published by the USHMM. The USHMM booklet, Resistance During the Holocaust, also provides important preparation for the teacher/group leader.

Other teachers may want to incorporate their trip into a specific lesson plan. One approach is to ask, “What questions do you have about the Holocaust?” before the trip and then have a post-trip discussion of the answers (or further questions) students have found. Another way of providing focus for the visit is to assign one or two questions either to individuals or to small groups of students. Upon the group’s return, each person or group would report their findings.

Possible questions, which are examined in Museum exhibits, include:

1. What was Jewish life like in Europe before 1933?
2. How did the Nazi party come to power?
3. What steps did the Nazis take to limit the civil rights, work and professional opportunities, education, cultural and social life of the Jews of pre-war Germany?
4. Could the European Jews emigrate to safety in other countries? What problems were involved?
5. What was the Nazi’s view of "race"?
6. What did the Nazi government do to influence the "Aryan" peoples of Germany to accept their view of the Jews and other "undesirables"?
7. What peoples were victimized by the Nazis?
8. What is a "bystander"? Cite some examples.
9. What is a "collaborator"? Cite some examples.
10. What was the step-by-step process toward the goal of the Final Solution?
11. What evidence did you see of conditions during the deportations and in the ghettos and concentration camps?
12. In what ways did the Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis show resistance to dehumanization and to death?
13. What are some examples of individuals, groups, and nations who resisted the Nazis and how did they accomplish their goals?
14. In what ways did the United States help the persecuted peoples of Nazi-occupied Europe? In what ways was the United States inactive?
15. Could the persecuted European Jews go to Palestine? What were the problems involved?
16. Who liberated the concentration camps? Did they know what they would find there?
17. What happened to the survivors of Nazi persecution immediately after the war? Where did they live?
18. What happened to the Nazi officials, SS members, and other perpetrators responsible for implementing the Final Solution?

Post-Trip

It is recommended that groups visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum have an opportunity to discuss their reactions to this complex informational and emotional experience.

While the Education Department of the Museum is available to provide a post-trip session with your school group, experience has shown that many visitors, children and adults alike, have delayed reactions and may not be able to express their feelings immediately. Some people may even joke or engage in light-hearted conversation to distance themselves from the intensity of the experience. Therefore, in addition to a post-trip session at the Museum, the classroom teacher/group leader can provide the opportunity for the expression of thoughts and feelings within a group context. The purpose of the group process is to encourage a sharing of response which is both supportive and clarifying.

Both children and adults have a wide range of expression in reaction to painful experiences. Teachers/leaders are in a position to help their group members share feelings that are painful, uncomfortable, or confusing and, in fact, to encourage this expression. Once the group members understand that they have both permission and group support to talk about these issues, some members, who may be less forthcoming, may join the group process.

We recommend that a post-trip discussion be held as soon as possible after returning home - the next day, if possible, or within the week - so that group members can process some of their complicated responses to this sensitive and painful experience.

Guidelines for Group Discussion:

1. Use a large-circle format for your group meeting.
2. Open up the group discussion with a general statement, such as, "Last week we went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and I thought that this would be a good time to share our thoughts and feelings about what we found . . ."
3. Acknowledge the uniqueness of each person’s reactions and that there are no right or wrong answers. Reiterate that an important purpose of the group session is sharing thoughts and feelings.
4. Facilitate the discussion, if necessary, by asking open-ended questions, such as, "What did you see or learn about the Holocaust that surprised you or was new information for you?" "On the bus ride back, did you find yourself thinking about any aspects of the trip? What were they?" "Did you dream about it? Would you want to tell us about it?" "Did you talk about your experience when you came home? With whom? What did you discuss? Was this difficult? If so, why?" (A teacher/leader could possibly relate this to whether it is difficult for them to discuss it now.)
   Hearing and verbalizing disquieting feelings may cause some anxiety among some of the group members, and may result in silences, seeming indifference, or uncomfortable laughter. But your open-ended questions and nonjudgmental acceptance of their responses, as well as the comments from other group members, will encourage further dialogue. If there are silences, we suggest that you wait some time to see if the group members will initiate a comment. If not, ask another open-ended question or offer one of your own observations, such as, "I had never heard of the White Rose group before, or considered that the German civilians had organized resistance to the Nazis."
5. Gradually try to include the more reticent members of the group but do not pressure them to speak.
6. Acknowledge the discomfort felt when people are left with difficult or unanswered questions, such as the response of the Western nations, the role of the Judenräte, etc. Some of these questions could be the basis for further group discussion.
7. Let the group know that their reactions might stay with them and they might have further questions or thoughts that they could bring to another group discussion or to the teacher/leader individually.

Additional Questions for Group Discussion or Written Projects:

1. What questions do you have about the Holocaust after seeing the Museum?
2. What do you want your children or other people to know about the Holocaust? What information or lessons did you learn that you want to teach to future generations?
3. If you were a world leader, what would you do to prevent another Holocaust? To prevent other violations of human rights?
4. What can you do right now?

Additional Post-trip School Projects:
Creative writing or art projects provide another way of processing this complex experience. In addition to sharing projects in class:

1. Group members might exhibit their work in their school or synagogue.
2. Individuals may submit them to the USHMM May Family National Art and Writing Contest or the Mordechai Anielewicz Creative Arts Competition.
3. The group might develop a Kristallnacht or Yom HaShoah presentation.

To arrange for a group visit to the USHMM, please make your request, in writing, to:

Coordinator of Scheduling
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW
Washington, D.C. 20024-2150
Fax: (202) 488-2606

• Include number of adults and children. The Museum requires a ratio of at least one adult to every seven children/students below college level.
• Include three alternative dates. It is recommended that you reserve six months to a year in advance.
• After your reservation is confirmed, you may request to meet with a USHMM staff member for a 15 - 30 minute debriefing session after a group visit. Please send your request to the Education Department or fax (202) 314-7888.

The Museum’s Permanent Exhibition is recommended for visitors eleven years and older.

Artwork: "Arrival in Theresienstadt" 1942
Drawing by child artist Helga Weissova, 1929 -