Dr. Davidson illustrated his talk with a series of photographs from Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg, one of the first concentration camps built under the Third Reich. Here senior Nazi officials experimented with techniques of torture and mass execution that they would later implement in the systematic murder of six million Jews, as well as political opponents, ethnic Poles, disabled individuals, Roma people, and gay men.  

Students were prompted to consider the ways in which site-specific details such as architecture and layout reflected the perverse aims of a genocidal state. Students asked probing questions about historical memory, and about the ways in which thoughtfully designed memorials can honor both the victims of past oppression and—given the subsequent use of the site by the Soviet government for retributive purposes—the complexity of the ensuing historical record. 

As students learn about past atrocities to help ensure we do not repeat them, some content and images contained herein will (of necessity) be unsettling--although ultimately instructive. Please note that this content is intended for older students. For additional resources on age appropriateness, please visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.

Story submitted by High School History Teacher, David Davidson