Holocaust Lessons for the Criminal Justice Classroom

The recent rise of anti-Semitic acts and general lack of Holocaust knowledge highlights the need to integrate Holocaust education across disciplines. An undergraduate criminology class at Queensborough Community College (QCC-CUNY) was aligned with an on-campus Holocaust center exhibit, 'Conspiracy of Goodness', focused on rescuing behaviors of the village of Le Chambon during the Holocaust. Prior to the class, students had only a rudimentary understanding of the Holocaust. During the semester students engaged with the exhibit, attended events, and completed a paper comparing and contrasting the behaviors of Le Chambon with those of Jedwabne, Poland by critically applying criminological theory. Upon course completion, students showed an increased mastery of Holocaust information and were able to critically connect historical events, criminological theories, and current events evidenced, suggesting the benefit of aligning Holocaust and criminal justice studies.