This Month in Holocaust History: From Discrimination to War

September is an important month for better understanding the Holocaust. As Nazi persecution of German Jews escalated in the mid-1930s, September — a time of the year that often coincides with the Jewish High Holy Days — became a critical flashpoint for repeated attacks on Jewish individuals and communities across Europe.

On September 15, 1935, Nazi Germany introduced the Nuremberg Laws, which took away many rights from German Jews and defined them according to Nazi racial ideas. These laws made antisemitism part of German law and helped create a system in which Jews were treated as second-class citizens. By the end of the 1930s, Hitler’s government had introduced more than 400 pieces of discriminatory anti-Jewish legislation.

Four years after the introduction of the notorious Nuremberg Laws, on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, beginning World War II in Europe. The invasion brought millions of civilians, including millions of Jews, under Nazi control. After occupying Poland, the Nazis introduced increasingly harsh policies against Jews, including forced labour, restrictions on movement and other forms of persecution. Three days after the invasion, Britain and France, Poland’s allies, declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939.

Why This Matters for Students

September provides an opportunity to help students understand that the Holocaust did not begin with the mass murder of millions of people. It developed over time through antisemitism, propaganda, discriminatory laws, persecution and eventually mass violence and genocide. The Nuremberg Laws are an important example of how a government can use laws to persecute an entire group of people.

Teachers can encourage students to think about how laws affect people's everyday lives and why it is important to recognize discrimination when it begins. Students should also understand that Jews were not simply victims of events; they responded to the Nuremberg laws and other examples of anti-Jewish legislation in a variety of ways, including protest, legal challenge, emigration and active resistance.

Classroom Lesson: When Discrimination Becomes Law

Grade level: 6 or 10

Time: 30–45 minutes

Learning Goal

Students will understand how the Nuremberg Laws changed the lives of Jews and will consider why discriminatory laws are dangerous.

Activity

Begin by giving students a short timeline:

• 1933: Hitler and the Nazis come to power.

• 1935: The Nuremberg Laws are introduced.

• 1938: Anti-Jewish persecution becomes increasingly violent.

• 1939: Germany invades Poland and World War II begins.

• 1941–1945: Nazi Germany and its collaborators carry out the mass murder of European Jews.

Ask students to look at the timeline and discuss how persecution became more severe over time – the Holocaust Encyclopedia is a good place to start! https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nuremberg-laws

Then provide students with a simplified description of the Nuremberg Laws and ask them to identify what rights were taken away from Jews.

Questions for Students

1. What did the Nuremberg Laws change for Jews?

2. Why is it dangerous when discrimination becomes part of a country's laws?

3. How did Nazi laws help the Nazis separate Jews from the rest of German society?

4. Why do you think the Nazis forbid Jews from owning radios or bicycles? (Think about Canada’s Right and Freedoms)

5. Why is September 1, 1939, an important date in Holocaust history?

6. What can we learn from how discrimination developed in Nazi Germany?

Teacher Note

When teaching the Holocaust, it’s important to avoid presenting it as something that happened suddenly or inevitably. Students should understand that the Holocaust developed over time through a series of decisions and actions by the Nazis under Hitler and their collaborators. The goal is to help students understand the historical process and the human choices involved.

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