Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.   - Holocaust Museum, Washington DC Introduce thought for the week.

Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.   - Holocaust Museum, Washington DC Look at the quote. Explain that today we will understand what these quotes mean

perpetrator bystander someone who takes part in a bad thing. someone who stands by and lets a bad thing happen. Share defintions.

What was the Holocaust? The Holocaust is the term used to describe the deliberate murder of 6.5 million Jewish people, disabled people, gay people and lesbians, black people, political opponents, Jehovah’s Witnesses and gypsies by Hitler’s Nazi Party during WW2. The term genocide means the deliberate target of a particular group of people with the intent to wipe out that group. Michelle to give a brief overview of what Holocaust was

Why do we remember the Holocaust? Whilst it would be easier to forget the Holocaust, there are lessons that need to be learnt to avoid it from happening in the future. History is not just about forgetting the past, it is about learning for the future. On Holocaust Memorial Day we also remember the victims of genocides in Srebenica, Rwanda, Cambodia, Darfur and Srebrenica.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKrk8_diGBU&safe=active video As you are watching the video, remember that the words that are spoken are from real people- these people are not actors. Watch video up to 8 minutes

Who were the perpetrators? We are used to seeing images of the Holocaust and Nazis, and most of us are aware that Hitler and others were responsible for these atrocities. However, they were a relatively small group of people compared to the rest of the population in the European countries that the Nazis murdered people in. The Nazis could not have accomplished killing 6.5 million people in death camps had there been more resistance from the local populations. They could not have done it without the bystanders.

Who were the bystanders? Someone who stands by and lets a bad thing happen. Ordinary Germans who stood by and allowed Hitler to come to power. The leaders of other countries who did not challenge Hitler’s policies before he began the extermination of Jews and others. Read through Citizens of countries like the UK who didn’t put pressure on their governments to challenge Hitler and his policies.

Am I a bystander? I did not speak up when I saw another ridiculed for their religious beliefs. I stood by an watched as another student was called names and bullied for his sexuality. I saw behaviour that I knew was wrong and felt too afraid to challenge it- what if I were the target next? I saw someone on the bus who was uncomfortable with the way that they were being treated and I pretended I had not noticed. I saw posts on Facebook telling others to hate, and I did not report or challenge these comments. I want you to honestly ask yourself if you are a bystander- are you guilty of any of the things we see on the board? How could you have changed this?

I refuse to be a bystander. Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi Party, refused to help in the Holocaust. He secretly saved the lives of over 1200 Jewish people, risking his own life and the lives of his family in doing so. Schindler spent his entire and wealth and savings on bribing Nazi party officials so that the Jews who worked in his factory could be saved. In 1963 he was named as ‘Righteous Amongst the Nations’ by the Israeli government. He is honoured at the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, and is also buried in the city. The stones that you see on his grave are placed there by people to remember him. Before you think you arent brave enough to be the opposite of a bystander- an upstander- take a look at these examples from the board. Some of them you may have heard of before, such as Oskar Schindler.

I refuse to be a bystander. Zeyneba Hardaga was a Muslim woman, who along with her father and mother, hid Jews during the Holocaust in Yugoslavia. The Hardagas became the first Muslims to be recognised as Righteous Among the Nations, the official title that Israel bestows on non-Jews who took extraordinary risks to save Jews during the Holocaust. Many years later, during the Serbian war, the family were never forgotten by the local Jewish community and other Jewish people abroad and they, along with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were eventually taken to safety in Israel. Zeyneba wasn’ t the only Muslim to help Jewish people in World war 2.Can you work out whats happening in the photograph, which was taken during the secondworld war? All jews were required by the nazis to wear a yellow badge so that they could be identified and singled out for bad treatment. It was a crime not to wear this yellow star, punishable by death. In the photo above the Muslim women on the left is using her veil to cover the yellow star of her Jewish neighbour.

I refuse to be a bystander. Lassana Bathilly, a Muslim from Mali, risked his life to help hide Jewish shoppers in a freezer when terrorists attacked the Kosher supermarket he worked in during the recent attacks in Paris. He then managed to escape and help the police rescue the hostages. He said ‘People are calling me a hero, and that is not true. I am myself, I am Lassana. Yes, I helped Jews get out. We’re brothers. It’s not that we’re Jewish or Christian or Muslims, we’re all in the same boat,” And more recently, this from the Paris attacks very recently.

I refuse to be a bystander. Recently in Australia, a coffee shop was attacked by an Islamic terrorist. This made ordinary Australian Muslims worried about their safety, especially when riding on public transport. Something everyone can do.

And one more quote to leave you with And one more quote to leave you with.it is everyones responsibility to stand up to evil.