| Below are some updates on the project, including more links to resources for older students.  Poetry Competition winners 2020 We are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s poetry competition, as follows:  1st Prize – Holocaust by Emily from Invicta Grammar School 2nd Prize – Their Hate by Imad from Upper Batley High School 3rd Prize – We are not the same by Athisham from Upper Batley High School  The poems have been added to the winning poems section on our website here.  Details for the 2021 competition will be uploaded soon.  Poetry Anthology 2012 – 2019 now available The compilation of winning and highly commended poems from 2012 – 2019 is now available to buy or download here. All profits from the sale of these volumes will go to help support Rohingya refugees. Please use the code BOOKS4SCHOOL at the checkout for a discount of 15% on up to 5 copies. For a larger discount on more copies, please contact the IHRC Bookshop on shop[at]ihrc.org.  Resources As the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz has just passed, we embed here the presentation of Professor Haim Bresheeth who addressed the 2019 Genocide Memorial Day event in London, UK on the connection between Genocide, Colonialism and Racism. Professor Bresheeth is the son of Holocaust survivors. His presentation begins with deeply personal reflections on the experiences of his parents in various concentration camps, before moving on to discuss the causes of the Holocaust and the failure to understand the processes of the Holocaust in the understanding of genocides.  This 45 minute video is suitable for older students, and raises many issues to reflect upon with regard to genocide awareness and prevention. His book (with Stuart Hood, and illustrated by Litza Jansz), An Introduction to the Holocaust: A Graphic Guide can be found on Amazon and other retailers and again suits older students.  |
Podcasts The Genocide Memorial Day project began producing podcasts last year aimed at University level students. However you may find some of these podcasts suitable for A-Level students.  In 2019 we were joined by Santiago Slabodsky, Ramon Grosfoguel, Roberto D. Hernandez, Esther Stanford-Xosei and Sandew Hira.  Upcoming podcasts for 2020 include Haim Bresheeth and Saeed Khan.  You can find the podcasts here.  GMD’s resources for schools, including lesson plans, can be found here.   News We are sad to report that we received deeply offensive communication in response to our last email newsletter regarding the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz (dated 15th January 2020). The communications were deeply troubling with racist undertones and implications.  More alarmingly the sender purported to be a teacher specialising in Holocaust memorialisation. A subsequent scurrilous and misleading article in The Jewish Chronicle politicised the issue (we invite you to review the resources they have complained about as we sent them out in the addendum below). These incidents were upsetting and offensive to all those involved in the GMD project, including children of Holocaust survivors and survivors themselves who have taken part in and supported the GMD project from its outset.  We are sure you agree that this treatment is unacceptable. At a time when there is a rise in all forms of racism and Holocaust denial is rife, it is shocking that the GMD project, which challenges this type of hatred, has been attacked in this way.  It is clear that projects like GMD which seek to educate about the causes of genocide are even more relevant and important in this moment.  We hope you will continue to engage with proactive genocide awareness and prevention projects like ours.  As ever your feedback is always welcome, and we look forward to continuing to develop this project with it.  We are thankful to all of you who have already sent us your support.  With prayers and peace,   GMD Team www.genocidememorialday.org.uk gmd@ihrc.org  ————————————————————————– ADDENDUM: A copy of our email of 15th January 2020  From: Genocide Memorial Day  15th January 2020  Dear Teacher, Resources for Assemblies and Lessons We hope this email finds you well. Those of you commemorating genocides past and present in the coming weeks may find the following resources useful. A full set of resources can be found on our site here. All our lesson plans are available under the Genocide Memorial Day author account on the TES resources site as well as on our website.  Assembly resources The powerpoint of genocides used as a prelude to a one minute’s silence is available to download from our site. It can be used as is, or adapted. PPTX – Listing acts of genocidePDF – Listing acts of genocideThe short video designed for all ages that contextualises the figures with the names of children killed in some of these atrocities can be found here and at the bottom of this email.  75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation                             On the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation, thousands of people from all over the world will come together to remember and commemorate the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. We have compiled a selection of resources to highlight the worst atrocities committed not just in Auschwitz but in other partsof the world since the Second World. We need to reflect and educate younger generations on the importance of remembering victims of genocide to not repeat the past and to raise awareness around discrimination, otherisation and dehumanisation. Our specific lesson plan for ages 10 – 12 on the book Rose Blanche, by Roberto Innocenti and Ian McEwan  is a way to do this. The book focuses on the Holocaust, in particular concentration camps. Students will learn about how ordinary people can both be accomplices with oppressive regimes and genocidal acts, as well as oppose both in whatever way they can; to have confidence in standing up for what is right; to think about the type of narratives used to justify genocidal programmes. For older students (14-16 and older) a discussion on Eugenics and the Holocaust is available in the lesson plan. The [PDF]PDF manual and PPT can be downloaded from our site.  Other resources and book discounts In addition, in our  School Resources section, we have links to relevant documentaries, films, essays, poems, posters and books. We also have a discount of 15% available for small orders of those items stocked by the IHRC Bookshop. Please use the code BOOKS4SCHOOL at the checkout. If you want to make a larger order and get a larger discount, please contact the bookshop directly on shop@ihrc.org.  Hoping to continue this project with your support and feedback. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.  With prayers and peace,  Genocide Memorial Day Team gmd@ihrc.org www.genocidememorialday.org.uk  |
