Teaching about the Holocaust through digital resources

Digital has revolutionized the way we write and teach history. It is also proving to be a particularly effective tool in learning the history of the Holocaust.

by Audrey Mallet, Montreal Holocaust Museum

The Holocaust is a sensitive and complex subject that is not always easy to explain and understand. The use of personal stories - through oral testimonies of survivors in particular - makes it more accessible. Unfortunately, the number of direct witnesses is decreasing.

To fill this void, many museums are turning to digital resources, not only to archive and preserve the testimonies of survivors in their community, but also to give them a second life.

Some centers have chosen to immortalize survivors through the hologram creation. Others, like the Montreal Holocaust Museum, have developed new tools, which can be more easily used in the classroom:

• Maps and timelines interactive
• Application iPad and Android (a phone version is also available)
• The site Life Stories about the Holocaust
• IWitness activity - Liberation of Buchenwald: one event, several perspectives
• Online exhibition Together against genocide

Our Holocaust Museum website is also an interesting resource for any teacher wishing to work on the subject with their students. Included are: access to certain objects from its collections, oral histories, historical information, photos, etc.

Finally, all educational tools can be downloaded free of charge from the site.