Collection Recommended Resources for Holocaust and Human Behavior

Guide

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak

This guide provides those viewing paintings by Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak with a framework for analyzing the art's profound symbolism about memory, justice, and identity.

Subject

History

Language

English — US

Updated

September 26, 2022

The Holocaust

Save

Cite this resource

Book cover featuring painting by Samuel Bak

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak

Date of Publication: January 2014

Download this resource for free. By signing up for a Facing History account, you can access this and other resources. You'll also be able to save items for later and build collections for your class. It's fast, easy, and free!

Unlock Access

Illuminations: the Art of Samuel Bak features a collection of paintings by world-renowned artist and Holocaust survivor, Samuel Bak. This accompanying guide helps those viewing the artwork understand its profound symbolism. Each original piece contains commentary by Professor Lawrence L. Langer, detailing themes within the work that subtly reveal imagery of the Holocaust, the aftermath of war, the burden of memories and the importance of remembering the past.

Along with an introduction by Samuel Bak, this educational resource contains 28 pages of full-color artwork that, when paired with the insightful interpretations of Dr. Langer, illuminate a story of loss and that which was left behind. A 2015 addendum adds 8 of Bak's newest paintings to the original collection of 20.

Facing History & Ourselves, “Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak”, last updated September 26, 2022.

Unit

Explore the motives, pressures, and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism and the humanitarian refugee crisis it provoked during the 1930s and 1940s.

A crowd of American men and women hold signs protesting Nazi Germany's actions.

Lesson

Students examine the steps the Nazis took to replace democracy with dictatorship and draw conclusions about the values and institutions that make democracy possible.

Germans look on as the Reichstag building burns on February 27, 1933.

Lesson

Students prepare for their study of the Holocaust by reflecting on the ways in which memory is an integral part of Jewish identity.

Lesson

Students are introduced to the enormity of the crimes committed during the Holocaust and look closely at stories of a few individuals who were targeted by Nazi brutality.

A crowd of women and children, some with Stars of David patches on their clothing.

Lesson

Students deepen their examination of human behaviour during the Holocaust by analysing and discussing the range of choices available to individuals, groups, and nations.

Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst in June 1942.

Lesson

Students both respond to and design Holocaust memorials as they consider the impact that memorials and monuments have on the way we think about history.

Lesson

Students grapple with the meaning of justice and the purpose of trials as they learn how the Allies responded to the atrocities of Nazi Germany.

Criminal proceedings before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg from 20.11.1945 to 1.10.1946 against leading persons prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against the peace and against the humanity.

Lesson

Students learn about the violent pogroms of Kristallnacht by watching a short documentary and then reflecting on eyewitness testimonies.

Image showing the destruction resulting from Kristallnacht.

Lesson

Students continue to explore the question “Who am I?” by examining the concept of dual or multiple identities and reflecting on their own identities as Jews.

Lesson

Students examine the Nazi ideology of “race and space” and the role it played in Germany’s aggression toward other nations, groups, and individuals.

Hitler Youth and League of German Girls in Tianjin, China

Lesson

Students examine how choices made by individuals and groups contributed to the rise of the Nazi Party in the 1920s and 1930s.

The Parade of the Political Administrators in Nuremberg, Germany.

Lesson

Students explore the long history of discrimination against Jews and come to understand how anti-Judaism was transformed into antisemitism in the nineteenth century.

Woodcut of a group of men in a pit being set on fire.

More Like This Teaching Resources Learning & Events

The resources I’m getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.

— Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

Search

Search

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak

Subject

Language

Updated

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak

Download a PDF of this resource for free

How to Cite This Guide

You might also be interested in…

Americans and the Holocaust: The Refugee Crisis

Dismantling Democracy (UK)

Jewish History and Memory: Why Study the Past?

The Holocaust - Bearing Witness (UK)

The Holocaust - The Range of Responses (UK)

How Should We Remember? (UK)

Justice and Judgement after the Holocaust (UK)

Kristallnacht (UK)

Jewish Identity and the Complexities of Dual or Multiple Belongings

Race and Space (UK)

The Rise of the Nazi Party (UK)

The Roots and Impact of Antisemitism (UK)

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak

Subject

Language

Updated

Illuminations: The Art of Samuel Bak

Download a PDF of this resource for free

How to Cite This Guide

You might also be interested in…

Americans and the Holocaust: The Refugee Crisis

Dismantling Democracy (UK)

Jewish History and Memory: Why Study the Past?

The Holocaust - Bearing Witness (UK)

The Holocaust - The Range of Responses (UK)

How Should We Remember? (UK)

Justice and Judgement after the Holocaust (UK)

Kristallnacht (UK)

Jewish Identity and the Complexities of Dual or Multiple Belongings

Race and Space (UK)

The Rise of the Nazi Party (UK)

The Roots and Impact of Antisemitism (UK)

Inspiration, insights, & ways to get involved