Perspectives on the Holocaust
Winter (9 - 13.5 hours) | This course is completed
The Holocaust, carried out by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany during World War II, was the most heinous organized crime of the 20th century, if not all of human history. This course will mix lecture and discussion as we address a number of important issues, especially the following:
1. How the years leading up to the Holocaust and centuries of prejudice and discrimination against Jews set the stage for the Nazis’ deeds.
2. Why America and the rest of the world were slow to act on evidence of atrocities prior to the war.
3. How the Nazis organized and carried out the Holocaust.
4. Individual people of that time period.
5. Personal experiences of survivors and rescuers, the Righteous Among Nations.
6. How the Holocaust is viewed, discussed, and taught today.
Thomas Burke
Thomas Burke is an author, freelance writer, writing tutor, and history enthusiast. His biography of Holocaust survivor Mary Wygodski, Evil Must Not Have the Last Word, was published in December 2021. From his extensive research in conjunction with that book, he developed this course in order to share and discuss his findings with those who are interested in knowing more about the history of the Holocaust and about some of the people who lived to tell about it.