German and Israeli : students use a new digital platform to study pre-Holocaust history
German and Israeli: Some of the most personal accounts of German Jewish life before to the Holocaust have been silently maintained for decades in Jerusalem archives, far from the classrooms where history is initially taught. Now, that is going to change.
The Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem informed TPS-IL that as part of its 70th anniversary, it has introduced Entangled Lives, a new digital platform that will, for the first time, incorporate unique archive resources stored in Israel into history curriculum in German and Israeli schools. In contrast to current educational programs that mostly concentrate on the Holocaust, such as those headed by Yad Vashem, the project goes further back in time, providing students with direct interaction with historical documents and first-hand accounts of their own lives.
The platform intends to improve historical awareness and help combat current antisemitism by exposing high school students to the human dimension of German Jewish history beyond the Shoah, as the Holocaust is known in Hebrew, according to the institution.
Irene Aue-Ben-David, CEO of the Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem, told TPS-IL that “historical learning, understanding historical processes, and how this affects individual lives helps to think in perspective, to learn understanding complexity, to question ‘fake news,’ and to overcome black and white thinking.”
Entangled Lives utilizes the institute’s vast collection of images, correspondence, records, and private holdings that were originally from Germany and are now kept in Jerusalem. The website features biographies of German-born people whose lives took different turns throughout the 20th century’s upheavals, such as moving to Mandatory Palestine or other countries. According to Aue-Ben-David, students who use the platform will have the opportunity to engage directly with real historical materials, investigating the lived experience that underlies significant historical processes.
“This is far more than the Shoah. Researching this history in a broader sense is, in fact, the goal and work. Connecting students with historical materials is crucial in an era of information overload and increasing difficulties in teaching history. In this way, it might benefit in the battle against antisemitism, according to Aue-Ben-David.
The platform’s initial two tales concentrate on radically divergent paths. One is photographer Aliza Nagidi, a devout Zionist who was born in Berlin and whose photography chronicled her own trip as well as communal life. The second is the young German who joined the German army during World War I, served on the Eastern Front, and was captured in Russia. His name was Willy Lewison.
The German-Israeli Textbook Commission (DISBK) and the Leo Baeck Institute collaborated on the project. Established in 2010, the committee looks at how Germany and Israel are portrayed in each other’s textbooks and makes suggestions to enhance historical awareness, accuracy, and balance. The Leo Baeck Institute, a prestigious research organization devoted to the history and culture of German-speaking Jews, was founded 70 years ago and has locations in Jerusalem, London, and New York.
Jerusalem-based history instructor Tal Kopel told TPS-IL, “The initiative will allow us as history teachers to connect students to real people instead of abstract headings like ‘German Jews.'” This is a crucial step in connecting Jewish history to the present for a generation that uses visual aids to construct their worldview.
According to Aue-Ben-David, instructors may already use the platform’s first version, and the complete release is anticipated in the next months.