Staying in a ghetto in Poland in the early 1940s, Ben Stern's people wore white arm bands with the Star of David to identify themselves as Jews. Food was rationed. In 1943 they were all taken away in cattle cars to extermination camps. Some died on the way. Looking through cracks in the cars, survivors saw signs reading, "Auschwitz." Their every thought was "I am going to a crematorium." Hearing cries and screams, they lost all feeling. According to Stern, "I lost faith." He was a skeleton of 87 lbs. when liberated. Upon arriving in New York in 1949, he was overcome by the Statue of Liberty. "Never have I taken this place for granted." In this interview he says, "I am delighted to tell you this story for introducing into the curriculum of the schools. If we don't educate people, the Holocaust can happen here as in Europe."
Standards
- 5.3 Demonstrate an understanding of the economic, political, and social effects of World War II, the Holocaust, and their aftermath (i.e., 1930–1950) on the United States and South Carolina.
- 6.5.CE Explain the impact of nationalism on global conflicts and genocides in the 20th and 21st centuries.
- 7-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and effects of world conflicts in the first half of the twentieth century.
- The influence of both world wars and the worldwide Great Depression are still evident. To understand the effects these events had on the modern world, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 7-4.5 Summarize the causes and course of World War II, including drives for empire, appeasement and isolationism, the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the "Final Solution," the Lend-Lease program, Pearl Harbo...
- 7-4.6 Analyze the Holocaust and its impact on European society and Jewish culture, including Nazi policies to eliminate the Jews and other minorities, the Nuremberg trials, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the rise of nationalism in Southwest...
- The influence of both world wars and the worldwide Great Depression are still evident. To understand the effects these events had on the modern world, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
- 8.5.CO Compare South Carolina and U.S. wartime contributions and demobilization after World War II.
- MWH.4.CO Explain the motives for and effects of European countries in the Age of Imperialism.
- USHC-7 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of World War II on the United States and the nation’s subsequent role in the world.
