Teaching Holocaust in difficult times

Prof. Kevin Ostoyich currently works as visiting professor at the C·A·P. His research focuses on interactive teaching about the Holocaust and the history of the Third Reich and its impact. He shares a common goal with the C·A·P research institute, as both are committed to foster the historical-political education of young people and both strive to raise young people's awareness and to foster their active participation in societal processes.

Insights into Prof. Ostoyich's work

Prof. Ostoyich's work primarily focuses on documenting the stories of survivors of the events of the Third Reich. Often starting with a single item, such as an envelope or postcard, he reveals the history of families and details their experiences in the Holocaust. He tries to preserve and convey the stories of witnesses and refugees.

Within the Holocaust field, he is most well-known for his research on refugees, who fled from Germany to Shanghai to escape the Nazi regime. When asked about his work, he explained that it doesn't feel like a job, it seems to be something he must do, like a calling. His aspiration is to reach a broader audience with his efforts, extending beyond academic circles.

What is particularly remarkable about his work, is that he combines teaching history with interactive tools. This has already resulted in the creation of numerous plays about Shanghai refugees as well as films (i.e., Gary's Letter and Three Girls of Shanghai) and the podcast "Tiny Dancer: Retracing the Steps of Jackie Beer." He is currently working on the development of a video game about a German-Jewish toy maker for high school students.

An unique way of teaching history – through films, theatre and gaming Prof. Ostoyich has sought to create a learning experience in which students do not simply view history as an academic exercise to be forgotten after they have written their exam. Thinking about the students who took his courses earlier in his teaching career, he noted how he felt "They learned something, but they weren't connecting with the humanity in the history." That's why he tried a different approach: Through theatre, the students were encouraged to dig deeper into the experiences of the victims of National Socialism. The hope has been that the students can better connect with the past and absorb history more subconsciously. That's what led him to combine history with alternative media. His aim is to encourage young people to engage with history, and actively participate in conveying history to others.

Working with students – a special experience

Prof. Ostoyich first came up with the idea of creating plays with students in 2015. In cooperation with his students, Prof. Ostoyich wanted to turn a refugee's story into a play. At first, the reactions were mixed about his idea. Some students had no prior experience with performing at all. Nevertheless, after some time they got involved into the play. In the end, they even exceeded Prof. Ostovich's expectations with their passion and creativity.

Their own imagination and the fact that Prof. Ostoyich trusted the students with full responsibility, turned the project into something truly unique. The resulting play, "Knocking on the Doors of History: The Shanghai Jews," was performed by students of Valparaiso University in December 2016. The play was most recently performed by
the members of the Dallas Theater Center at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum on November 10, 2024.

Bringing History to life: Preserving memories to shape the present

Prof. Ostoyich hopes that his way of teaching history can help to gain access to the past more easily, no matter if one is a seasoned academic or a high school student. Another central concern for him, is to document the memories of survivors so that they are not lost when they pass away. It is good to know that there is someone trying to make the memories of refugees visible.

Prof Ostoyich's approach led me to recognize that is important to understand that history and politics are closely connected. If we want to understand the present, we have to look at the past. The decisions of the past shape our present, our beliefs, and our understanding of the world. History teaches us how we can cope with current
developments.

One of the most striking examples is Nazi Germany that taught us how easy it is to abolish a democratic system. Several parties have not managed to oppose these developments. Because of that, it is our task to do it better to preserve our democracy.

Looking ahead: Memory, Education & Responsibility

Engaging with history can help to get people to be more actively involved in current developments of today's society. By linking the past and present, we can take away that we should try to be more attentive towards political movements such as the shift to the right. It is important that we engage with democratic values, even as young
people because democracy cannot be taken for granted.

Kevin Ostoyich has highlighted the methodical differences in teaching history that can have a positive impact on young people. Because reading about the Holocaust does not have the same effect as hearing about it or even watching a play. While writing articles about Holocaust, he makes sure to write them in a way that they are accessible to wide audience. He tries not to encumber the text with technical jargon or excessive theoretical analysis, believing that even psychologically demanding stories can be told in simple, accessible language. This way, the meaning of the story can speak for itself.

In the future, more of his projects will be released, such as the video game about "The Toy Maker". We are excited to see what else he has in store for us and what the cooperation with the C·A·P will bring in the future.

Author & Links

Jessika Reitbauer, she studies Political science at the LMU and wrote the article during her internship at C·A·P.

Link to Tiny Dancer Podcast

Link to Three Girls of Shanghai film

Further articles can be found at:

Kevin Ostoyich – AGI (There are 15 articles there)

Florence and Laurence Spungen Family Foundation (under the tab "Holocaust Postal Collection" -> "Other Collections" & "Survivor Stories" or "Operation Bernhard Book" > "Ongoing Research" (article "Forbidden and Forged") )

Link to "A Red Rose for Eva": Friedrich Hoyer – The Nazi Crackdown on Augsburg's Socialists and Communists | Florence and Laurence Spungen Family Foundation