Liberators and Survivors: The First Moments

This Educator Video Toolbox is aligned to Echoes & Reflections, a comprehensive Holocaust education program that delivers professional development and a rich array of multimedia resources for middle and high school teachers. This video complements the unit called Survivors and Liberators. It addresses key historical context, supports your teaching, and provides a methodological and pedagogical framework to help you teach this subject effectively. Professional development programs for middle and high school educators are taking place around the country; you can find one near you here. The liberation of concentration camps by the US Army at the end of WWII is an excellent entry point for US history teachers into the study of the Holocaust. This video interweaves liberators’ and Jewish survivors’ testimonies and other primary sources, highlighting the experiences of US soldiers upon entering the Nazi camps. The video helps you present their story to your students, as the witnesses relate to the stark difference between conventional warfare and the Holocaust, an unprecedented genocide. Great care has been taken not to include visually graphic photographs, making the video particularly suitable for middle and high school students. SPEAKERS Dr. Robert Rozett is Director of the Yad Vashem Libraries, as well as an author, researcher and senior editor on Holocaust-related subjects. Sheryl Silver Ochayon is a staff member of the International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, and its Program Director for Echoes & Reflections. For additional information about Echoes & Reflections visit Produced by: Shira Feliks Content and Production LTD