The atrocities of the Holocaust are chilling and difficult to watch, especially when in high school. So why do we need to hear and learn about these harsh topics as kids? 

According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, the Holocaust took place in German-occupied Europe in 1941 and ended in 1945. It was led by Adolf Hitler and sustained by a total of 13.6 million Nazi soldiers. Hitler targeted Jews, Black people, gay people, political opponents, people with disabilities and more in this violent and discriminatory effort. Over six million Jews died, and at least five million more victims were non-Jewish. 

As a great-granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors, I got to live through the abomination told in my great-grandparents first-hand stories. There were more than 4400 concentration camps and incarceration sites. The most well known one is Auschwitz, the camp my great-grandparents were in. Both my grandparents lost their families and all semblance of their previous lives, and they had to let go of everything and everyone to escape and build a new life, rarely looking back at what happened there, but always cherishing the memories they had before the war. 

Although it is a sore topic, kids at different high schools usually get the full holocaust learning experience during their sophomore year. During that unit they get introduced to a movie called “Schindler’s List,” a film based on a true story directed by Steven Spielberg. This movie gives the kids perspective on each event and tragedy that happened during the war. The sophomore students learn about the Jewish perspective during the war and the challenges they faced when trying to escape and save their lives. As scarring as it is, students must learn about this topic so the millions of lives lost will never be forgotten. 

The tragic loss of 11 million innocent lives, solely based on their race and religion, should never be forgotten. It is a painful reminder of the atrocities that humans are capable of committing against their fellow beings. As a society, we must strive to ensure that such horrific events do not repeat themselves. We should work towards building a world where every human is treated with dignity and respect, irrespective of their race, religion or any other characteristic. Only then can we truly call ourselves a just and fair society. Learning about this is just disturbing enough to ensure us as human beings that this will not happen again. 

This effort begins in the education system. If we stop educating ourselves, we will fail the millions who lost their lives due to society’s ignorance. We must tell their stories and honor them for what they have been through, no matter our personal opinions or backgrounds.

The Holocaust is a cornerstone of world history, and the scary part is that it could happen again and again. Unless we as a society learn from the past and teach the leaders of our future, we cannot ensure that the violence ends with us.