CURRICULUM RESOURCES

ANTISEMITISM

Antisemitism is the prejudice against or irrational hatred of Jews. It has existed for thousands of years and has taken many shapes and forms, all resulting in the singling out Jewish people for discrimination, persecution, and genocide.

These resources explore the history of the Jewish people, antisemitism from ancient times, and the modern manifestations of antisemitism.

HAEA DEVELOPED MATERIALS

These materials have been created by members of HAEA. Our plan is to add more made-in-B.C. learning resources as we move forward.

RESOURCES COMING SOON

CURATED MATERIALS

These materials have been curated by the HAEA and represent some of the best resources available worldwide.

JUDAISM AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE

To understand antisemitism and the Holocaust, it is important to understand who the Jewish people are, their beliefs and backgrounds.


ANTISEMITISM OVERVIEW

Antisemitism is the hatred of the Jewish people, and it traces its origins back thousands of years – as far back as the origins of the Jewish people themselves.

  • The Antisemitism Classroom Toolkit (ACT) resource guide has been carefully designed to provide parents and educators the content and learning strategies necessary to guide young learners through a curriculum-compatible introduction to the complex and difficult topic of antisemitism.

    This is a collection of lesson plans for students in Grades 1 through 8.

    Source: Friends Of Simon Wiesenthal Center For Holocaust Studies

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  • Translate Hate was created to explain antisemitism. This glossary aims to improve media literacy on antisemitism and hate, especially in the digital realm. It offers a comprehensive list of terms and expressions that will help you recognize antisemitism when you see it. And once you recognize it, you can become part of the global effort to fight it—and eliminate it.  

    Source: American Jewish Committee

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  • This extensive lesson plan looks at the evolution of antisemitism from pre-Christian through modern times and how different forms of antisemitism have been used in the past and present

    Source: Institute for Curriculum Services

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ANTISEMITISM AND THE HOLOCAUST

Antisemitism is at the foundation of the Nazi German perpetration of the Holocaust – the systematic persecution of the Jewish peoples in Europe and the eventual systematic murder of six million Jews.

  • This is lesson 2 of the unit Studying The Holocaust. In this lesson, students investigate who the Jews were before they were persecuted in the Holocaust. The centerpiece of the lesson is the profiles of six teenagers from different countries and walks of life. This glimpse into their worlds allows students to see them as individuals, creating empathy and deepening understanding of the diversity of prewar Jewish life.

    Source: Echoes & Reflections Partnership

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  • IThis lesson plan that is adaptable for Grades 7-12 looks at the long history of antisemitism in Germany, Europe, and the world leading up to the Holocaust – and includes a review of key definitions distinguishing fact, opinion, and belief.

    Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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  • This lesson plan for high school levels looks at the racism that fueled Nazi ideology and politics to provide an understanding the concept of racism in general and Nazi racial antisemitism in particular.

    Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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  • The lesson plan implements videos in a variety of techniques for teaching and for study. It includes various levels of learning processes: video watching, using visual literacy and listening comprehension; classroom discussion; work in the full-class forum; and connecting historical information with testimony from a survivor.

    Source: Yad Vashem

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CONTEMPORARY ANTISEMITISM

Antisemitism can still be found across democratic society even after the horrors of the Holocaust. It continues to evolve and take many different forms.

  • The lessons in this unit increase students’ understanding of Jewish people and awareness that antisemitism did not end after the Holocaust, and provide them with opportunities to learn about the persistence of antisemitism in its contemporary forms.

    Source: Echoes & Reflections

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  • This three-part lesson provides an opportunity for students to understand that antisemitism did not end after the Holocaust. Students will learn about the persistence of antisemitism worldwide and analyze the different types of contemporary antisemitism that are present in society today.

    Source: Echoes and Reflections

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  • This guide aims to explore common antisemitic imagery, the history of the depictions and how they manifest themselves today, specifically focussing on cases from the last decade. Antisemitism can be nuanced, and in some instances, the case studies included in this guide have caused ample debate and discussion about their meanings. However, this document serves an illustrative purpose, that for future cases the reader will be equipped to understand why such images will cause concern or should not be considered acceptable.

    Source: Antisemitic Policy Trust

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  • This lesson plan helps in promoting awareness, education and action regarding combatting antisemitism; however, these exercises and activities can be applied towards combatting any form of discrimination.

    Source: The Centre For Holocaust Education and Scholarship

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  • This is a collection of seven defining thought pieces and exercises on anti-Zionism and Antisemitism

    Source: Israel Forever Foundation

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  • In this lesson, students will start with themselves, considering their own experience with the concept of conflation and its impacts. Next, students will view and respond to an educational video that explores the concept of antisemitic conflation—holding all Jews accountable for the Israeli government’s actions and policies. Finally, students will closely read about recent examples of antisemitic conflation and consider how these examples contribute to their understanding of this form of antisemitism.

    Source: Facing History & Ourselves

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    DOWNLOAD CONFLATION EXAMPLES HANDOUT PDF

    DOWNLOAD ANTISEMITIC TROPES CHART PDF

  • This lesson plan looks at the intersection of antisemitism, sports, and society through an incident in the history of Major League Baseball.

    Source: Anti-Defamation League

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  • This lesson plan examines ways that antisemitism manifests in sports and why this happens

    Source: Anti-Defamation League

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ANTISEMITISM AND THE ISRAELI-ARAB CONFLICT

The Middle East and the State of Israel are the focus of much antisemitism in the modern world, both antisemitism in action in the region as well as fueling antisemitism in places far away.

  • This resource booklet discusses the debates surrounding Zionism, Israel, and the legitimacy of a Nation State for the Jewish People. The foundations on which the Jewish State was founded are constantly being questioned – both by the anti-Israel movement as well as within the Jewish world. The following attempts to cut through the confusion by leaving aside political commentary and analysis and going back to the basic concepts around which the Jewish world could always find agreement - Zionism and Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People.

    Source: Israel Forever Foundation

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  • In this lesson, students will explore the Middle East’s complex and diverse religious landscape and consider a variety of ways that religion and politics are intertwined.

    Source: Institute for Curriculum Services

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  • In this lesson, students will explore the concept of nationalism and connect the rise of nationalism in Europe to the emergence of both Zionism and Arab Nationalism in the late 19th century

    Source: Institute for Curriculum Services

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RESPONDING TO ANTISEMITISM

Students can wonder what is the right way to stand up to antisemitism, and how they can navigate their way through antisemitism they encounter.

  • This lesson seeks to help students make sense of current antisemitic incidents that may be happening in their community, within the United States, or in the larger global context. Students examine the definition and nature of antisemitism and how it manifests today.

    Source: Echoes & Reflections Partnership

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  • This lesson introduces students to factual information that refutes commonly circulated antisemitic myths, which are the basis for many antisemitic remarks and incidents today.

    Source: Anti-Defamation League

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  • This lesson plan looks at what online hate and harassment are, the recent increase and severity of it, and what can be done to address it (there are links to supporting resources).

    Source: Anti-Defamation League

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  • The goal of this lesson plan is to explore how Rabbi Sacks understands the evolution of antisemitism and how we should respond.

    Source: Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust

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MORE LESSON PLANS COMING SOON