Testimony As Historical Source: Focus on David

This lesson focuses on David’s testimony as an historical source.

Guiding Question

• What was significant in David’s experience of the Holocaust?

Introduction

The previous lesson “The Holocaust in Romania,” provides context for David’s experience of the Holocaust. Alternatively, these lessons can follow any instruction on the Holocaust, or lessons can be used to highlight survivor testimony in particular.

Lesson Activities

Thinking about Testimony

As a class, lead a discussion about testimony, using the following questions as prompts:

• What is an eyewitness?
• What is testimony?
• What forms does testimony take?
• Why would somebody leave a testimony?
• What can testimony tell us about a past event that other sources might not? What are the limitations of testimony?
• Compare the value of testimony, artefacts (such as documents and photographs), and textbooks as sources for understanding the past.

Reading David’s Testimony

Gather various sources of David’s testimony

• David Schaffer has provided information about himself (But I Live pp. 159–162).
• Biography of David Shaffer from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

Based on the sources, what are the significant events in David’s testimony?

Reading the Graphic Testimony

Depending on your class, you may choose to have students read the testimony in many ways.

• What happens in the graphic narrative? How does David describe what happened to him?

Three potential options are:

• Have students read the testimony independently. Highlight certain topics as a class after ward.
• Have students read the testimony in groups.
• Read the testimony as a class, stopping to highlight certain topics as you read.

Develop a list of the significant events in the graphic testimony. Does this vary from David’s biography?

Potential Discussion Questions are provided here.

Conclusion

Debrief the discussion. Potential questions could include:

• How does this testimony contribute to your understanding of the Holocaust, or to our previous lessons?
• What long-term effects has the Holocaust had on David?
• How do you think David felt when he described what happened to him?
• What did you learn from this personal testimony that you did not learn from the historical sources?
• What stood out to you about David’s story? Why?
• What will you remember about the experience of studying David’s testimony? Why?

Extension

Teachers may decide to use these lessons as avenues into other topics, including:

• trauma, inter-generational trauma
• desecration/loss of community
• inter-generational impacts such as land loss, economic impact, education, etc.
• other survivor testimonies

Support Materials

Using video testimony in the classroom (USC Shoah Foundation) https://www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/USCSF_Teaching_Guidelines.pdf

Danger in Forgetting: Eyewitnesses to the Holocaust (Facing History and Ourselves) https://www.facinghistory.org/videos/danger-forgetting-eyewitnesses-holocaust-sonia-weitz