Making History Together
Welcome to the online supplement of Making History Together, a unique character development programme that takes young learners on a powerful journey through a largely hidden chapter of European history.
This supplement offers key highlights from the full programme, which unfolds across six carefully designed themes to explore the story of the Jewish communities of Belarus between 1941 and 1944. Through this lens, learners encounter real people, places, and events that bring history to life — deepening understanding while fostering empathy, reflection, and moral awareness.
Making History Together provides a safe, age-appropriate introduction to the Holocaust, offering a strong and sensitive foundation for future learning about one of the most complex and devastating periods in modern history.
Together, we uncover the past to help shape a more thoughtful and informed future.
For more information please contact [email protected]
Generation to generation
This module examines the impact of Soviet communism on Jewish life — how religious and cultural traditions were suppressed, and how, even for those who survived the Holocaust in the east, the ability to pass on their heritage was often lost. Through personal stories and little-known history, students become history detectives, uncovering the lived experiences of Jewish communities whose voices were nearly silenced.
Identity
Students explore the many layers that make up who we are — where we come from to how we relate to others. Identity can describe individuals or entire communities, reflecting our character, culture, beliefs, and sense of belonging. This module encourages students to reflect on their own identities while examining the diverse identities present in the Soviet Union during the war, including Russians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Tatars, Jews, and Poles. Through this lens, students learn how Jewish people were persecuted for their identity — first under communist repression and later under the Nazi regime — and consider the devastating impact of being targeted simply for who you are.
Power & leadership
Students explore the concept of power — how it is gained, used, and the difference between power that uplifts and power that harms. They examine the traits and behaviours of authoritarian leaders during the war, analysing how some used power to control and oppress entire populations. The module also introduces the partisans — resistance fighters who stood up against injustice — and asks students to consider what kind of power they held. Was it influence, resilience, unity, or something else? By comparing different expressions of leadership, students reflect on what it means to use power responsibly.
Antisemitism
Students examine the long history of prejudice and discrimination against Jewish people, with a focus on how it unfolded in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The module explores the violent pogroms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the repression of Jewish identity and culture under Soviet rule, and the erasure of the specifically Jewish experience of the Holocaust after the war. Students learn how, instead of acknowledging the genocide of Jews, the Soviet narrative claimed that all citizens had suffered equally — while at the same time labelling Jews as “rootless cosmopolitans” and restricting their freedom to leave. Through this exploration, students gain a deeper understanding of how antisemitism was embedded in both political ideology and everyday life.
Tikkun Olam
Students explore the Jewish concept of “repairing the world” and consider how understanding the past can inspire us to act with compassion, courage, and integrity today. Through powerful personal stories of individuals who lived under Soviet rule, students learn about those who risked everything to help others, even in the most difficult and dangerous circumstances. This module encourages reflection on moral choices and asks: how can we use what we’ve learned from history to become the best version of ourselves and make a positive difference in the world around us?
Memory & self
Students reach the end of their journey through hidden history and are invited to reflect on what they’ve learned — not just about the past, but about themselves. This module explores how history is shaped, remembered, and sometimes forgotten. In the case of the Holocaust in the Soviet Union, many survivors’ voices were silenced, their stories left untold due to decades of repression. Students are challenged to consider questions such as: Is history written by the victors? What happens when memory is erased? By understanding the power of memory, students take on the role of History Makers — reclaiming suppressed stories and ensuring they are passed on. The module encourages learners to use this knowledge to shape a better future and to become thoughtful, active participants in the world around them.
