YouthWEBOnline Home | Activities Index | Discussions Index
DISCUSSIONS

Exercise 1

Holocaust Poem Discussion: "In Germany..."
by BiasHELP.org

After a discussion of the elements of the Holocaust as a violent end to the Continuum of Hate, a discussion can be lead as follows:

Directions:
Read the following statement by Martin Niemoller, a Berlin Lutheran pastor arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau concentration camp in 1938. The allied forces freed him seven years later.

"In Germany the Nazis came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionist
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time,
there was no one left to speak up for me."

Here are some questions to ask after the reading:

  1. What is Niemoller saying?
  2. Can you think of a way that this statement applies to anything in the world today or in other historical contexts?
  3. Why didn't the author "speak up" as he says for the Communists, Jews, trade unionists and Catholics?
  4. If he had "spoken up", what would have happened?
  5. Is any part of his statement incorrect?
  6. How can you apply this to your own personal life experiences in school, home, the community and other areas?
  7. When we say: "If you want the present to be different from the past, study the past" what do we mean?
  8. Margaret Meade once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has". What does this mean to you?

To continue:
Devise a way to create a small group of committed students to do something in support of a specific group affected by the World Trade center terrorist attack or another population for which your group has empathy.

Journal entries or "do-now" as a reaction to the Niemoller statement above.

Create a timeline of events that seem to represent history repeating itself and strategize a means to break the cycle.

Interview an individual from outside of your cultural/religious/ethnic group and discuss ways in which fostering a connection with this individual might benefit your school, peer group, community or society.