Margot Freudenberg, Part 2 | S.C. Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust

Born in Germany, Margot Freudenberg grew accustomed at a very early age to being part of a minority. Her family lived in a large academic Jewish community of professors and doctors. Upon the Gestapo's arrival, a million questions were asked and the suicide rate was tremendous. Following Kristallnacht, all synagogues were dismantled stone by stone and burned, along with Jewish stores. The family escaped to America. People in South Carolina were lovely to them. "There were many people before us; many after us. Outstretched hands warmed and soothed us. The younger generation still doesn't believe it happened; it is, to them, made-up history how the people were tortured and persecuted and slaughtered. I owe this to six million Jews and one million precious children that were burned in the concentration camp, that I open my mouth and tell you what happened. Einstein said of this torture, 'The world is too dangerous, not because of people who do evil, but because of those who sit and let it happen.'"

Standards

• Along with the rest of the world, the United States and South Carolina experienced economic instability during this period. As a result, political instability and worldwide conflict consumed the world in the 1940s. Following World War II, the United States emerged as a world leader through political policies and economic growth.
  • 5.3.CE Analyze the cause and effect of government-sponsored policies within the United States and Europe related to the status of different groups, to include the Holocaust.
• The modern era has seen an increase in global interdependence culturally, economically, and politically since 1920. The advent of technology has fueled the interconnectedness of the world. Civil rights and independence have been at the forefront of this era; however, tensions remain in how to achieve these goals.
  • 6.5.CE Explain the impact of nationalism on global conflicts and genocides in the 20th and 21st centuries.
• This indicator was designed to promote inquiry into military and economic policies during World War II, to include the significance of military bases in South Carolina. This indicator was also developed to foster inquiry into postwar economic developments and demographic changes, to include the immigration of Jewish refugees following the Holocaust.
  • 8.5.CO Compare South Carolina and U.S. wartime contributions and demobilization after World War II.
• This indicator is intended to encourage inquiry into the significant causes of World War I and the impacts of the Treaty of Versailles, including its failure to prevent future global conflicts.
  • This indicator is intended to encourage inquiry into the relationship between World War II and interwar foreign policies, global business cycles, the rise of totalitarian regimes, and postwar alliances. This indicator was also developed to promote inq...