War, human dignity and memory

Ages 13 to 17 Read alone · about 60 minutes

Read together

Note: this lesson deals with war and genocide. It is for older teens, with a grown-up available to talk.

The Second World War (1939 to 1945) was the deadliest war in history. In the Holocaust, the Nazi government of Germany and its collaborators murdered about six million Jewish people, as well as many others. After the war, the world formed the United Nations, and in 1948 adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which begins with the words that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Some Christians and others risked their lives to resist or to shelter people. The German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer joined the resistance and was executed in 1945. Many churches, however, failed to speak or took part, and later faced this honestly. In the Philippines, Japanese occupation (1942 to 1945) brought great suffering, and the Battle of Manila in 1945 destroyed much of the city and killed many civilians.

Do it

1. With a grown-up, read a short testimony by a survivor or a rescuer from a reputable museum, such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Notice the person's name, age and story.
2. Read the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Write in your own words what it asks of us.
3. Find one war memorial or museum in your own community or country. What does it remember, and who decided what to include?
4. Write a short reflection: why do we remember difficult history, and what does it ask us to do?

Talk about it

• What does it mean that every person has dignity?
• How can remembering help prevent such things from happening again?

For the grown-up

This lesson deals with heavy history. Read it first, choose sources that suit your teen's maturity, and be ready to listen. If your teen is distressed, talk about it, and if distress continues, seek support. In the US, if a young person is thinking about harming themselves, call or text 988; if there is immediate danger call 911; outside the US, find a helpline at findahelpline.com. Fear and hatred should never be the lesson, but the dignity of each person, and the call to protect it, should be.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust Encyclopedia, articles on the Holocaust and the Second World War
• United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), article 1
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison (SCM Press, 1953; enlarged ed. 1971)
• Alfonso J. Aluit, By Sword and Fire: The Destruction of Manila in World War II, 3 February to 3 March 1945 (Bookmark, 1994)

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.