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Caitlyn OHara
Professor Wertz-Orbuagh
UWRT 1102- 037
January 12, 2015
Holocaust Education
I consider myself to have a somewhat good understanding of the Holocaust. From what I
know, the holocaust began when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 and lasted until
1945. Hitler was the founder of the Nazi party, his aim was to send all the Jews to concentration
camps where they would be worked, starved, treated horribly and burned in gas chambers. Hitler
got so many people to be on his side that this went on for 11 years. Throughout those 11 years
Adolf Hitler killed 11 million people and 6 million of them were Jews. Hitler wanted to create
the perfect race by getting rid of all the imperfections in the world. Many people for a while
didnt know what was going on, not realizing what cruel things were happening at these camps.
In 1945 allies defeated Adolf Hitler and fortunately they put it all to an end.
I dont have a specific exposure to the holocaust, growing up I just learned about it through
history class and a few English classes. In middle school was when I began to learn about the
basics, in class and from my family. It wasnt until high school when I really started becoming
interested in the holocaust. One of the classes I took in high school required us to read The Boy
in the Stripped Pajamas which was a written about a son of a Nazi commander and a Jewish
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concentration camp inmate that became friends. Throughout the book it gave insight of an
outsiders and insiders point of view of the concentration camps, expressing the innocence of
children at the time of war. This book was the first book I read on the holocaust and not to
mention, my favorite. After reading The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas I was inspired to read and
learn more. I soon after began to read The Diary of Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a Jewish girl
who had, at the time, received a diary on her 13th birthday and continued to write about her life
throughout her two years of hiding during the holocaust. This book was completely different
outlook and view on the holocaust compared to The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, It showed how
scared and vulnerable Jewish people were at the time.
Besides reading books and seeing movies the only other sources that have educated me on the
holocaust were maybe one documentary that I had to watch for a class that gave detailed facts
about the holocaust. I wish growing up, my schools would have taught more about the holocaust
but being as interested as, I am excited to begin this class. I know the basics and little details here
and there but I want to dig deep into difference aspects and different point of views from the
holocaust. I hope to allow my knowledge to grow through more articles, books, documents and
movies.