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EXHIBITION TOUR DOCENT SCRIPT SCHOOL PROGRAM 2020

Exhibition:

o Treasured Belongings: The Hahn Family & the Search for a Stolen Legacy

TOUR (in Exhibition Space, 55 min + 10 min break)

1 Welcome & Introduction, view definitions (5 min)

Location: Rotunda outside the VHEC entranceTime: 5 minutesGoal: 1) Brief introduction docent

2) Students understand the three definitions presented on the wall 3) A short introduction of Treasured Belongings4) Museum guidelines (before entering exhibition space and education room)5) Direct students to the Education Room

Welcome & Introduction Docent and VHEC

Welcome, my name is _________and I am a docent at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, the VHEC.

The VHEC was founded by local survivors of the Holocaust. The Centre is dedicated to teaching about the Holocaust, and to promoting human rights and social justice. As a teaching museum, the VHEC produces thematic exhibitions, such as the one you will see today.

Optional: Share with students why you are docent/what motivates you to be a docent at the VHEC

Q: Have you been at the VHEC before? Q; Why do you think the survivors founded such a Centre?

Before we enter the museum space, I’d like you to take one minute to read through the three definitions which you find on the wall. These definitions speak to the themes at the core of the exhibition.

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res·ti·tu·tion the act of restoring something lost or stolen to its proper owner compensation for an injury or loss

rec·on·cil·i·a·tion the process of making two opposite beliefs, ideas, or situations agree the act of becoming friendly again after an estrangement

in·ter·gen·er·a·tion·al relating to, involving, or affecting several generations of people

Q: What comes to mind when you read these definitions? Are there any specific words or associations that you make?

A: Answers may include: justice, forgiveness, righting past wrongs, connections to the indigenous communities in Canada or other victim groups of injustice, government apologies or programming redressing historical wrongs, etc.

Q: What do you imagine this exhibition will be about?

Docent explains: Treasured Belongings: The Hahn Family & the Search for a Stolen Legacy tells the story of the German-Jewish Hahn family, owners of one of the most significant collections of silver Judaica in pre-war Europe. It follows the Max and Gertrud, and their children, as they navigate escalating Nazi persecution leading to the confiscation of their possessions. Today, their grandson, Michael, lives in Vancouver. In the 1980s, he received boxes of his family belongings, which he did not open until the early 2000s. Many of the items you see today, were found in these boxes.

Before we enter the museum, let me introduce some museum guidelines:

Don’tsNo food or drinks in the gallery spaceNo cell phones in gallery space and education room. Leave your phones and other belongings in your bag packsNo runningNo yelling or overly loud talkingDo not touch display cases (with exception of drawers that are meant to be opened!)Do not lean on walls, display cases and digital kiosk stationsNo close-up photographs of artefacts and portraits

Do’sOK: Photos taken by the teacher of the class during tour and workshop

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OK: Drinks during workshopOK: Washroom breaks for students if necessary

Note: Phrase instructions/rules/reminders in the positive rather than the negative. i.e. “Please remember to keep a few steps back from the art work, sit away from the walls etc.” rather than “Don’t touch the art, don’t lean on the walls.”

Please follow me into the Education Room to the right of the exhibition room. There you can hang up your jackets and put your bags into the bins. Teachers, please help students putting their belongings into the bins.

2 Basics about the Holocaust/Introduction of exhibition, Treasured Belongings (5 min)

Location: Education RoomTime: 5 minutesGoal: 1) Students hang up jackets, put their bags in two bins and take a seat

2) School Program Outline3) Basics of the Holocaust4) Introduction to Treasured Belongings

Please hang up your jackets, put your bags and belongings into the two bins and take a seat.

Program Outline: We will first have a tour through the exhibitions for about 50 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. After the break, we will then meet back here in the Education Room for the workshop.

Basics of the HolocaustBefore we start the tour in the exhibition space, I would like to know what you have already learned about the Holocaust.

Q: What years are we looking at when we study the Holocaust?

A: The study of the Holocaust usually begins in 1933, when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party was elected to power and ending 1945, when Allies (including Canada) liberated concentration camps and the German and Axis occupation of Europe collapsed. The fate of Holocaust survivors in the post-war years is also encompassed in the study of the Holocaust.

Q: What was the Holocaust?

A: Answers may vary, but generally students will define the Holocaust as the persecution and murder of 6 million Jews and 5 million members of persecuted minorities by the Nazi state.

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More complementary info on last page of this docent script

Q: What was the Nazi ideology regarding the Jewish people and other minorities?

A: The Nazis believed in the superiority of the Aryan race - “master race” theory and in the elimination of the so-called “undesirable” e.g. all non-Aryans

More complementary info on last page of this docent script

Q: How many Jewish victims were there?

A: Six million Jews (being 2/3 of European Jews), including 1.5 million Jewish children.

Q: What about non-Jewish victims?

A: About 5 million non-Jewish victims were murdered in the Holocaust, including the Sinti & Roma (the proper term for the slang word “gypsies”), Jehovah’s witnesses, homosexuals, political opponents (communists, socialists etc.), the mentally and physically disabled, members of the resistance, Soviet POWs and other “undesirables.”

Introduction Exhibitions Today, you will learn about one family’s experience of the Holocaust through the exhibit: Treasured Belongings: The Hahn Family & the Search for a Stolen Legacy.

You will be introduced to the Hahn family’s personal belongings, which are displayed today as artefacts in the museum.

Optional: Q: Before we begin our tour, can anyone tell me what an “artefact” is? What do we mean by that term?A:-an artefact is an object made by a human being

-it is typically of cultural or historical interest because it tells us what life was like at the time the object was used or created

-artefacts can give us a very personal glimpse into the past -by studying artefacts we can learn the stories of individuals and understand how they were affected by historical events

-artefacts are primary sources of historical research – they are the raw materials which historians use to understand what happened in the past

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Although the Hahn family’s story is rooted in the past, through the artefacts, Treasured Belongings also represents the family’s present-day struggle for justice and reconciliation.

Please follow me into the exhibition space.

3 The Hahns: A German Jewish Family & Pillars of the Community (7 min)

Location: Case 1: The Hahns: A German Jewish Family & Pillars of the CommunityTime: 7 minutesGoal: Students are introduced to the Hahn family, their religious life, family life and role within their community (both secular and non-secular). Students learn about the diversity and richness of Jewish life prior to the Nazi rise to power.1) Students explore the exhibition themselves to gain an idea of the Hahn family 2) Artefact: Chanukah Photograph in Pillars of the Community, to represent the family’s German Jewish identity

To start, I would like to give you three minutes on your own to look through the exhibit. I’d like you to examine the artefacts, documents and photographs and think about what these items tell you about the Hahn family. Please try not to read the panels or descriptions, instead use your imagination/critical thinking skills to explain what you see.

Q: Can you summarize what you saw? Q: Can you describe what type of family the Hahns were?

A: Answers may include: typical family portraits and family scenes, leisure time such as vacationing, businesses- orientated, wealthy/ upper-middle class, a class photo, the photos could be taken everywhere in Europe or in North America, no big differences to our own historical family photos.

Docent explains: Max and Gertrud came from prosperous Jewish families whose roots in Germany dated back over two centuries, more than 200 years. Max’s father, Raphael Hahn had moved to Göttingen as a young man to expand his family’s business in rawhides and pelts, and by 1900 the company was one of the city’s most successful businesses. Gertrud’s parents owned a prosperous glove factory.

Max and Gertrud were married in 1917. They lived in Goettingen, a town in central Germany, where their son Rudolf and their daughter Hanni were born. Seasoned travellers, Max and Gertrud ventured to European destinations of art and culture as well as summer resorts on the Baltic and North Seas. They enjoyed celebrating milestones such as birthdays and holidays with their family.

The Hahns identified themselves as German Jews with equal emphasis on both identities. They were steeped in Jewish religious and cultural traditions. But the Hahns were equally German citizens who were fully integrated into German culture.

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Direct students’ attention to the Chanukah photo:

Q: Can you guess which holiday the Hahn children are celebrating in this photograph?

A: Hanni and Rudolf are pictured here at a party celebrating Chanukah, the Jewish festival of light. Chanukah is observed for eight nights and days and is typically celebrated between late fall and early winter.

Q: Do you recognize the figure in the middle of the picture who is holding the Chanukah menorah?

A: The man with the white hair and beard is Saint Nicholas, the traditional Santa Claus.

Q: What do you think it means that the Hahns would have had someone dress up as St. Nicholas at their Chanukah party?

A: It shows how connected the Hahn family was to German culture and how they integrated it into their Jewish identity.

Not only were the Hahns assimilated in German culture, they also proudly participated in the responsibilities of German citizenship. Max and his eldest brother, Nathan, had taken over their father’s business and contributed fully to the German economy.

Max and Gertrud enrolled their children, Rudolf and Hanni, in German public schools for a secular (non-religious) education. At the same time, the Hahn children were also members of a German Jewish youth group and followed Jewish religious traditions at home. The Hahn family attended Göttingen’s reform synagogue, where Max was the chairman of the congregation for more than 20 years.

Q: Do you think the Hahn family represents a typical Jewish family in pre-war Europe?

Docent explains: Jews have lived in Europe for more than 2,000 years. Prior to the Holocaust, Jewish life in Europe was characterized by the abundance and diversity of Jewish communities.

Within the European Jewish communities there were varying degrees of assimilation and religious observance from atheist to non-practising to liberal/reform to orthodox. For some, Jewish identity was primarily a secular, cultural association, while for many others, religious faith and ritual were part of most aspects of daily family life.

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By the beginning of the 20th century, Jews in Western Europe had gained legal equality: they were granted citizenship rights including the right to vote and hold office, and many served in the armed forces and fought for their countries in World War I, or contributed to their country’s war effort like Max. Jews had entered civil service and many professions and had also made vital cultural, scientific, and economic contributions to their countries. In Göttingen, there was an esteemed university, where many Jewish scholars were employed.

A similar process began to occur in Eastern Europe in the early 1900s. There, however, it remained common for Jews to live in smaller towns composed almost entirely of Jews, called shtetlek/shtetl, where Yiddish was primarily spoken. Across these different regions, Jews, though always a minority, were vital participants in social, cultural and economic spheres of European life.

4 The Hahn Judaica Collection & The Hahn Secular Art Collection (5 min)

Location: Case 2: The Hahn Judaica Collection and Case 3: The Hahn Secular Art CollectionTime: 5 minutesGoal: Students learn about Judaica (Jewish religious art) and collecting. Students gain insight

into what the collection meant to Max Hahn, giving insight into his strategy of saving it.1) Artefact: Photograph of Spiceboxes2) Artefact: Scroll of Esther3) Artefact: Chinese pith paper painting

Direct students’ attention to The Hahn Judaica Collection case:

Max was an avid and passionate collector. His father, Raphael Hahn, began collecting in the late 1800s, and his collection was later inherited by Max. While Max diversified his father’s collection, both collectors’ true passion was Judaica - Jewish religious and ceremonial art.

Q: Why do you think people collect particular objects?

A: Possible answers may include: o they find joy in collecting as a hobbyo feel accomplishment through their collectiono helps them learn or connect with the subject to which their collection belongso they have a passion for the items they collecto they want to differentiate themselves from others (a symbol of status), or associate with

others who also collect (enjoy interacting with other collectors)o developing expertise and connoisseurshipo pursuing self-definition and self-extension in the collection (the collection represents/ is

an extension of the collector’s self-identity) o kindling nostalgia and recapturing childhood joys, etc.

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Q: Do any of you collect anything or have you collected anything in the past? What do these objects mean to you?What value do you think this collection had to Max?

Student answers may vary, docent explains: The value of Max’s Judaica was much deeper to him than its financial value. Max

viewed the collection as an extension of himself, his Jewish religious and cultural identity. He found intellectual and spiritual inspiration from his Judaica collection. The pieces decorated his home, and some were used by the family during Jewish holy days.

Q: Does anyone know any Jewish holy days/ holidays?

A: Answers may vary, but may include: o Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.o Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year – a holiday observed with festive meals

and a day spent in prayer or quiet meditation.o Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement – a day devoted to self-examination,

and the opportunity to begin the New Year with a fresh start.o Sukkot, a celebration of the fall harvest.o Chanukah, the festival of light a rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem,

celebrating the freedom of worship. o Purim, a day celebrating the saving of the Jews from destruction, as recounted in

the Book of Esther (may explain more when pointing out the megillah (Book of Esther)

o Passover, a festival of freedom that marks the Hebrew exodus from Egypt long ago.

Direct students’ attention to the photograph of silver spice boxes:

Max’s collection reflected his love for Shabbat and held 65 Besamim boxes (Spice boxes) which are used for Havdalah, the ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat. The hold sweet spices including cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Their fragrances symbolize the sweetness of this holy day and are said to comfort the soul as the holiday comes to a close.

In 1939, pieces of Max’s cherished collection, which contained precious metals, was confiscated by the Nazis. As of today, the family has documented that at least 146 pieces of Max’s collection, including his prized silver Besamim boxes and this Megillah encased in silver, were looted by the Nazis. Direct students’ attention to the silver Megillah:

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You may ask, if this Megillah was confiscated, how do we have it here at the VHEC. There was a way for Max to save a small amount of his confiscated Judaica, and he did successfully save 12 pieces. I will explain more about this as we move further through the exhibition.

The pieces of the Hahn collection, which did not contain any precious metal, were not confiscated such as the books (Haggadot, plural of Haggadah) and the scrolls (Megillot, plural of Megillah) that you see in this exhibit.

Optional: Direct students’ attention to the Megillah in the drawer:Max was particularly captivated by the Megillah, the Book of Esther. It recounts the story of Esther, the Jewish queen of the Persian king. Esther saved her people from persecution at the hands of Haman, the king’s highest advisor. The story of Esther is read at Purim, a Jewish holiday in early spring, celebrated with costumes, songs and dance.

Direct students’ attention to The Hahn Secular Art Collection:

Open drawer and direct students’ attention to Chinese pith paper painting.

Max was also interested in secular (non-religious) art. He had a distinct sense of fine craftsmanship and appreciation for both Western and non-Western art. The Hahns’ home was adorned with Meissen porcelain, masterly carved objects d’art, precious Chinese embroideries and pith paper paintings.

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5 Unwelcome in Their Own Home (5 min)

Location: Case 2: Unwelcome in their Own HomeTime: 5 minutesGoal: Students learn about the change in atmosphere and increased antisemitism during the

Nazi party’s rise to power, including antisemitic decrees and discrimination. Students gain insight into the consequences the Nazis assumption of power had for the Hahn family and their actions of resistance.

1) Artefact: Patent, Max continued to innovate and expand his business

Direct students’ attention to “Unwelcome in Their Own Home” Case:

Note: If you see that students cannot answer the questions or if it takes too much time, please take over and explain the Nazis’ rise to power. We do not want to quiz the students.

Rise of NazismDocent explains: The Nazi Party began in 1920 as a far-right fringe party in Germany. Their promise of a strong, expansionist Germany became attractive to a German population oppressed by the Treaty of Versailles and experiencing economic, social, and political turmoil.

Q: How did Hitler and the Nazis come to power?

A: By 1932, the Nazis were democratically elected to more seats than any other party in the German Reichstag and assumed power legitimately when Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933. In the Hahns’ city of Göttingen, the Nazi Party had the support of just over 50 percent of the city’s electorate which voted for the party. This is significantly higher than the national average of 33 percent. The “Enabling Act” of March 1933, gave Hitler complete control of the Reichstag, ending democracy in pre-war Germany. Within a year, Hitler outlawed all other political parties to solidify his position as dictator. Historians often referred to this as a consensual dictatorship because Hitler used the legitimate/lawful means of the state to assume his position as dictator and the ongoing acquiescence of the population allowed him to continue in this role.

Q: What did the Nazis’ rise to power mean for German Jews?

A: For German Jews, this meant escalating persecution and exclusion. From 1933 until the outbreak of the war in 1939, the Nazis implemented more than 400 decrees and regulations that restricted all aspects of Jewish life.

Q: Can you tell me some of the measures imposed on German Jews by the Nazis?

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A: [students should be able to identify some of the following – you may need to prompt them, however, it is not the goal that they need to list all of them but ideally some of them]

The first measures were aimed at economically isolating and persecuting German Jews:

o state-directed boycott of Jewish-owned businesses

o legislation excluding Jews from the professions (lawyers, doctors, teachers etc), civil service, public organizations and educational institutions.

Other measures that soon followed and were designed to isolate and dehumanize Jews included:

o Jews were required to register themselves and their property with the Nazi government;

o Jews were prohibited from most parks, pools, and public spaces and had to obey curfews;

o Jews were not permitted to use public transit, cars, radios or bikes (even if they owned them);

o Jewish property, homes, assets and businesses were confiscated (taken over) by the Nazis;

o Jewish children were no longer permitted to go to German public schools;

o Germans with three or four Jewish grandparents as Jews, regardless of their religion, and deprived them of German citizenship, the right to vote and prohibited marriage between Jews and Aryans (Nuremberg Laws of 1935)

Consequences for the Hahn FamilyDocent explains: The loss of their German citizenship affected the Hahn family deeply. Not only were the Hahns’ stripped of part of their identity, but also the benefits that come with recognized citizenship, such as their civic rights.

When the Nazis occupied other European countries, Jews in those places began to experience the same treatment as those in Germany

Antisemitism was already present in Göttingen prior to the Nazi Party’s rise to power. There had been attacks on the synagogue and directly on the Hahn family. These antisemitic incidents increased once the Nazis were elected to power.

Many of the more than 400 antisemitic decrees instated by the Nazis directly affected the Hahn family. They were forced to register themselves and their property, with many of their belongings being confiscated (including, as we discussed, Max’s silver Judaica collection). Like other Jewish business owners, the Hahns’ businesses were either liquidated (sold at price much below their true value) or “Aryanized” (taken from the Hahns and given to non-Jews).

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The Hahn children’s education was drastically affected. While Rudolf was able to graduate from high school, he was the last Jew to do so at his school. He had previously been removed from the school orchestra because he was Jewish. Hanni was unable to graduate before she was expelled from school with three other Jewish students. Max and Gertrud recognized that there would be no future for their children in Germany and arranged for them to start training programs in Hamburg in preparation for emigration.

Direct students’ attention to: Patent for sausage production invented by Max Hahn

Max and Gertrud continued their daily life and business in Göttingen, striving for normalcy. Max worked to expand his businesses, and created innovative patents, such as this sausage casing patent which he had patented in France and Sweden.

Despite the unjust antisemitic legislations, Max maintained his faith in the rule of law. He never believed the Germany he knew would become what it did, and thought that, like other periods of antisemitism, the Nazi regulations were temporary. He hoped that by staying in Nazi Germany, he could work within those laws to eventually secure the financial means to establish a new life for his family outside Germany.

5 The Night of Broken Glass (3 min)

Location: Case 4: The Night of Broken GlassTime: 3 minutesGoal: Students learn about the events of Kristallnacht, and in particular what happened to the Hahns through an activity.

On Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” of November 9-10, 1938, large scale violence erupted against Jews in Germany and Austria, hundreds of synagogues were burned, thousands of Jewish businesses and houses were destroyed, nearly one hundred Jews were killed, and thirty thousand Jews were arrested to be sent to concentration camps. Disguised as a spontaneous reaction to the murder of a German diplomat in Paris by a Polish Jew, the outbreak was deliberately orchestrated by Nazi officials.

In Göttingen, a Nazi mob broke into the Hahns’ home, damaging the furniture and artworks, and arresting Max and Gertrud under humiliating circumstances. Gertrud was released later that same morning, but Max was kept in the local jail for more than eight months.

The Nazis blamed Jews for the damage inflicted during the night and as repayment fined them an “Atonement Tax” of 1 billion Reichsmark.

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Activity: Kristallnacht Eyewitness Account & Rudolf’s Response (20 minutes)

Time: Total: 20 min: 5 min to read info sheet, 5 minutes for the group to discuss, 10 minutes to share with class. This is a key part of the tour. If it takes you longer than 20 minutes, shorten the rest of the tour. Goal: Students explore an eyewitness/bystander account of what happened to the Hahn family during Kristallnacht and discuss the complexities of decision making. Students will read Rudolf’s letter to Gertrud in response to the events.

Give the following instructions to teachers and students:

To teacher(s): Ask the teacher(s) to help you form 6 groups of 5 students.

To students: You will now have the chance to do some hands-on historical research using a primary

source.

Each group will be given a primary source that relates to the Hahn family’s experience of Kristallnacht. One is a letter from Rudolf to his mother after witness

Your group will be given 5 minutes to carefully read through the information (letter or eyewitness account). Just like a professional historian would do, you will use your powers of observation and draw on your own knowledge of the Holocaust to try to discuss the provided questions.

Together, your group will look for clues as to determine what this primary might tell us about the events of Kristallnacht -make educated guesses and don’t worry about being wrong

Once you have read through the information, you will discuss the provided question with your group.

After 5 minutes, I will ask the spokesperson to make a brief presentation (about 1-minute-long) to the rest of the class about the primary source, and we will continue with a short class discussion.

The docent’s role for this activity: The docent is expected to:

- Assist the groups if necessary. This may mean repeating the instructions to groups who appear to be struggling to figure out what they are supposed to do. Prompt them, where helpful, about what clues they should be looking for and encourage them to use their knowledge to make educated guesses

- Periodically announce how much time is remaining for each task to ensure the groups stay focused and get through the exercise on time

- Comment encouragingly to each group after their presentation- Give appropriate context if needed (e.g. theme, geography, time)

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- Fill in the information gaps if necessary

Potential follow-up questions for docent to lead class discussion: Rudolf’s Letter to his Mother

o What is the message that Rudolf is trying to communicate to his mother? o Why might Rudolf believe that his letter does not meet his mother’s expectations?

Bystander account Mrs. Groteo Why does a bystander’s response matter?o What questions does Mrs. Grote’s account of Kristallnacht raise for you?o Consider the relationship between Mrs. Grote and Gertrude Hahn. What type of

relationship do you think they had?o Mrs. Grote recalled the events of Kristallnacht after the end of the Second World War.

How might attitudes or revelations of Nazi crimes after the war have affected her account? Is Mrs. Grote a reliable witness?

Docent continues: Kristallnacht marked a turning point for many German Jews. Rudolf began his preparation to emigrate the following day. Both he, and his sister Hanni, immigrated to England in 1939.

Not all Jewish people were so fortunate as to be able to leave their home countries and escape persecution and death, including Max and Gertrud.

Optional Q: Why do you think the Jews could not leave their countries? Q: What held them back?

Answers may include: They did not have enough money to travel, they could not leave their old or sick family members behind, they did not know where to go, and they did not have permission from other countries to entry.

Docent explains: With the increase in antisemitism and persecution, some Jews tried to leave the country, but options for emigration were limited. Although the Nazis technically encouraged Jews to leave Germany before the War, heavy taxes and other regulations made it difficult for Jews to leave. Many were reluctant to leave older relatives behind and hoped, instead, that the threat posed by Nazism would pass as antisemitic movements had done in the past.The restrictive, often racially or ethnically-based immigration policies of immigrant-receiving countries, including Canada, posed a critical barrier to Jews fleeing Germany.

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6 Legal Robbery and Max’s fight (5 min)

Location: Case 4: Legal RobberyTime: 5 minutesGoal: Students learn about the confiscation of Max’s collection and his fight to release his belongings.

As I have already mentioned earlier, many of the Hahns’ belongings were confiscated by the Nazis. Q: Does anyone have any ideas as to how we have these artefacts in the museum today? How they were saved?

Answers may vary, docent explains: Max and Gertrud did plan on immigrating to the United States. Although they were unable to emigrate, they were able to send containers and luggage sent to the neutral countries of Sweden and Switzerland.

However, only a few belongings we see in this exhibit were confiscated. After the confiscation of Max’s Judaica, his belongings were sent to a Nazi operated pawnshop in Berlin. Max followed his collection to Berlin and tried to save pieces which was very difficult as he was forced to pay high taxes. He managed to save 12 pieces of his collection, which he sent either in the containers to Sweden or in the luggage to Switzerland.

The majority of Max’s confiscated belongings are still unaccounted for today.

7 From Hamburg to Riga (5 min)

Location: East Wall: From Hamburg to RigaTime: 5 minutesGoal: Students learn about Max and Gertrud’s deportation to Riga.

Max and Gertrud had moved to Hamburg in order to facilitate their emigration, but their attempts were unsuccessful. On December 6, 1941, Max and Gertrud were deported to Riga, Latvia. While the details of their deaths remain unknown, it is believed that Gertrud may have perished during the transport as she was a diabetic and did not have access to her medication. Max is believed to have been murdered during a mass shooting just outside of Riga in March 1942.

8 Map and Post War (5 min)

Location: Map and South WallTime: 5 minutesGoal: Students learn about the displacement of the Hahn family and about Rudolf/Roger and Hanni’s search for their parents and belongings after the war.

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Direct students’ attention to the Hahn family map: Q: By looking at the map, what does it tell you about where the different family members went?

Answers will vary, docent explains: This map illustrates the separation and displacement of the Hahn family caused by the Nazi regime’s persecution of European Jews. Hanni and Rudolf were forced as teenagers to leave their family for an uncertain future in a foreign country. Once separated, the Hahn children were never reunited with their parents.

Direct students’ attention to the South Wall (In Search of Loved Ones and In Pursuit of Justice)

Following the war, the Hahn children began an extensive search for their parents, while Hanni and Rudolf knew their parents had been deported to Riga, Latvia, they did not know what this meant or whether their parents had survived or not. Rudolf, who had changed his name to Roger Hayden, was a soldier in the British Army. He returned to Göttingen in 1946 to look for his parents, but no hope was found of their survival.

The Hahn children also began a search for their family’s former belongings. Hanni located the containers that Max had shipped to Sweden and had them delivered to England. However, Rudolf and Hanni were unsuccessful in finding their father’s confiscated collection. The children then successfully pursued financial restitution from the German government.

Instructions for Students:

Just before your break, I would like you to have a look at the silver and gold Kiddush cup which is to your right as you exit the exhibition space. Once you have viewed the cup, you will be dismissed for a 10-minute break. After the break, we will reconvene in the Education Room where we will learn more about the journey of this artefact.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: o If you start the school program with the workshop first, do not cover the basics of the

Holocaust as you already covered this part in the workshop. o For students of grades 6&7 : You may choose to spend more time with the activity and

shorten the last parts (7&8) of the tour. It is also recommended to give them a longer break if you feel they need it.

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Complementary Info:

2 Basics about the Holocaust Q: What was the Holocaust?

Here are some of the defining features of the Holocaust which may or may not be raised by you or the students during this discussion:

(a) The Holocaust was the systematic (step-by-step) persecution of the Jews;

(b) the persecution was state-sponsored, meaning the powers of the government (state) were used by the Nazis to implement increasingly repressive laws and measures aimed at isolating Jews economically, socially, and eventually physically;

(c) with the goal of annihilating (wiping out entirely) European Jews (men women and children);

(d) carried out by Nazi Germany and its collaborators;

(e) Jews were targeted for persecution and ultimately death for no reason other than being Jewish or having Jewish ancestry (ie for merely existing);

(f) the Holocaust was executed through a massive infrastructure with thousands of ordinary individuals carrying out (and recording) each step in the process (architects, engineers, scientists, doctors, construction crews, truck drivers, train engineers, bookkeepers, secretaries, etc.). With so many individuals performing small steps in the process, each was able to rationalize that he/she was not responsible for the operation as a whole (“I only drove the truck”, “I only recorded the names…” etc.)

Q: What was the Nazi ideology regarding the Jewish people and other minorities?

-the Nazis saw history as a racial struggle against “undesirable” elements within Germany society. They believed the state’s powers must be used to protect and promote the Aryan race and subordinate/eliminate the weaker/impure/undesirable elements in German society

-Jews were blamed for Germany’s weakness, instability and economic problems, in particular: Germany’s loss of WWI, the onerous treaty imposed on Germany after the war and the resulting severe economic hardships Germany suffered in the 30s

-effective use of propaganda was important to ensure the Nazi ideals gained wide public acceptance so their goals could be implemented.