Entry 7

 

            Good afternoon, readers! In this last week, we’ve read through a couple of different stories from post-Holocaust Jewish literature. Many of the works of Browoski, Lispector, Celan, and Amichai share a common theme. A theme that is quite obvious from what one might know of the era in which these stories were written and influenced by. The theme I would like to emphasize for this week’s readings is something we all have to face eventually, the Suffering both of ourselves and others around us.
            Teaching this topic to high school students will be a heavy challenge, as the topic itself is somewhat grim. Not to mention that the Holocaust is a period which is regarded often with respect and its victims regarded often with sympathy. A good starting point for teaching this subject would have to come from the words of a survivor, and not a textbook. Go out onto the internet and find a recording of an interview with a holocaust survivor, or at the very least a transcript of one. Play it or read it aloud for the class, and make sure that your students are paying attention. Have counseling and other measures available in case these events become too much for some students.
            If one must use modern media to aid in the teaching of this subject, there are a few different books that I would recommend. Texts like A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis, and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl would do well on the subject.