This week, we feature OJMCHE’s virtual tour of the Oregon Holocaust Memorial. Released in January 2021, the virtual tour includes opportunities to interact with the Memorial and stimulate thought provoking conversations around the following essential questions:
- Why is it important to remember the past? What are the consequences of not remembering?
- What are some reasons for constructing memorials and monuments? What impact do they have on us and the way we think about history?
- What do we do with the histories we inherit? How does learning about history educate us about our responsibilities today?
The tour is a total of eight “stops” and is designed to provide a balance between general Holocaust history and local connections. It begins and ends with short videos from local survivors Leslie and Eva Aigner. My favorite “stop” on the tour is the Witness Wall, where you can click on quotes and hear local survivors read them aloud.
The tour is free to access on our website. Educators can also request a free guide that includes relevant social science standards, vocabulary, and a student graphic organizer. The graphic organizer contains a short written introduction for each “stop” as well as interactive prompts and/or reflections questions.
If you want to experience the virtual tour of the Memorial together as a class, use the questions to facilitate a discussion at each stop. If students are exploring the virtual tour of the Memorial on their own, have them complete the graphic organizer and when you regroup as a class, review their responses to check for understanding.
This post was originally in an email on January 24 to educators from Amanda Coven, Director of Education.