The French word for history is histoire, literally meaning story, but it is also translated as “history.” The English word history suggests by its very appearance such a meaning as “story.” Interestingly, Napoleon is credited as having remarked that history is “but a fable retold.” Perhaps, too, the facts and details of the “story retold” depend upon the country or those involved personally who retell what occurred.
Because of today’s editing of historical facts by writers and certain forces, such as some in the news media and those wishing to place a political “slant” on facts to serve their agendas, it is difficult for ethical teachers to be certain that their students are exposed to the truth. Nevertheless, the horrors of what occurred during World War II in Nazi Germany and the lessons to be learned about Anti-Semitism cannot be erased if objective teachers are earnest in their instruction of history.
There is today a free resource available to teachers. An interactive instructional tool that covers the European section of World War II, ZACHOR Holocaust Curriculum is an authentic program developed by one of the survivors of the Holocaust, Benjamin (Ben) Lesser. With this instructional tool directed in a first-person narrative with videos, historical interactive timelines and lesson plans that engage students in virtual conversations with Mr.Lesser through the artificial intelligence of StoryFile. This technology permits the power of a Holocaust survivor’s words and lessons on Anti-Semitism to provide a rare perspective. Indeed, this firsthand account is very moving. It can certainly influence generations of the future on this crucial time in the world’s history. This account by Benjamin Lesser is no “story retold”; it is an account of a time that should never be repeated.
