Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

A Lesson in Forgiveness

“I pray that the world’s children grow up where there is no more bloodshed and murder. I pray that no one is ever again forced to wear a striped dress, the uniform of a concentration camp prisoner.”

- Rosalie Simon

Objectives

Rosalie Simon is one of the many Holocaust survivors who settled in southern New Jersey after surviving the war. Teaching her story to students makes a profound connection between the events of the Holocaust and their local history. After either learning of Rosalie’s story or reading her memoir, students will be able to:

  1. Identify and explore the central themes and messages of the memoir, considering how personal experiences reflect broader societal or universal issues.
  2. Develop empathy by exploring the author’s personal struggles, achievements, and worldview, and considering how these experiences contribute to their understanding of human behavior and relationships.
  3. Reflect on themes of resilience, empathy, and forgiveness in letter format to demonstrate their understanding of Rosalie’s story.

  • Video- 2022 #WeRemember Campaign for International Holocaust Remembrance Day - Rosalie Simon
  • Video- Survivor Stories: Rosalie
  • Rosalie Simon video Testimony at Richard Stockton College, 1994.
  • Rosalie and Sidney Simon Biographical information
  • Girl in a Striped Dress: A Survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Geislingen, and Allach - Memoir by Rosalie Simon - class sets are free through the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education.
  • Girl in a Striped Dress - A Teacher’s Guide from Stockton University’s Holocaust Resource Center 
  • Letter correspondence from Stockton student and Rosalie Simon
  • DIY Timeline Expansion pack for Girl in a Striped Dress

1. To introduce Rosalie Simon to your students, have them watch either of the introduction videos and read her short biography included in the Portraits of Resilience activity. (linked above)

2. This would be a good time to incorporate the Identity Chart activity to familiarize the students with Rosalie’s traits and story. 

3. If there is time to teach the entire memoir, the book lesson can be included in the lesson about Rosalie. Instead, the biographical summary, interview clips, timeline cards, and letter correspondence can be used in one lesson to teach the whole story. 

4. Teach the memoir the way that best fits the class, but to help guide a Holocaust lesson and answer any questions the students may have about Rosalie and the events she experienced, the Teacher’s Guide for Girl in a Striped Dress through Stockton University has many tools available. 

5. As you read the memoir, the students can create timeline cards and add important dates in Rosalie’s life to the USHMM Timeline Project if it’s being done simultaneously. 

  • Students can make a stand-alone timeline of Rosalie's life if the USHMM timeline is not done before or during the memoir lesson. If that is the case, the Chronology of Events on page 25 of the Teaching Guide can act as the timeline guide for teachers. 
  • If used in conjunction with the USHMM timeline, only the bolded events should be added to Rosalie’s cards since events like “1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany” already have cards from USHMM. 
  • At the end of each chapter, the class should discuss what events seem important to Rosalie’s story and what dates should be added to the timeline. The students can collaborate to make a few cards for each chapter as they go through the book. The Chronology of Events should be used to help the teacher steer the students in specific directions, towards particular events, like “ 1942: Rosalie’s father is drafted into forced labor service.” 
  • The students should model their cards after the USHMM Timeline Cards if they are being added to the timeline project. If not, they can design their own format that emphasizes that the students feel is important.

6. To wrap up the memoir unit or lesson about Rosalie’s story, use the letter correspondence between a Stockton student and Rosalie from 2009. This letter will help the students see the whole story behind the person. The letters represent forgiveness, resilience, and humanity and for students to read it after reading the story of what Rosalie survived will give them a deeper appreciation for her. 

    • Have the students read the letter to Rosalie first. Ask them to make predictions about how it might have felt to write this letter to a Holocaust survivor. How might it feel for Rosalie to receive it? What predictions do you have about Rosalie’s response to the letter? 
    • The students can then read Rosalie’s response. What surprised them about Rosalie’s letter? Was it different from how you expected it to be? How would you respond if someone doubted the trauma you experienced? What does this letter tell you about Rosalie? What does it tell you about the importance of forgiveness? 

    7. A suggested concluding activity for the entire lesson on Rosalie Simon would be to have the students write their own letters to Rosalie Simon. What would you say to her if you had the chance? Express how her story made you feel, questions you might still have for her, and sentiments you hope she knows about her impact on your understanding of the Holocaust.