Whatever It Takes

German pupils given Holocaust comic book
German school students have been issued with a comic book account of the Holocaust as a teaching aid to learn the lessons of history.

Die Suche, or The Search, tells the fictional story of Daniel, who after seeking information on the Holocaust on the internet, hears a first hand account from his grandmother Esther, who as a young Jewish girl saw her parents deported to their death in Auschwitz.

She, though betrayed by neighbours, survives.

"Through the comic format, the subject becomes more realistic and closer to home for young people," said Julia Franz of the Anne Frank Zentrum.

"There is definitely a huge knowledge gap among teenagers. Most know about the Third Reich but there are lots of myths, prejudices and misunderstandings."

The book, produced by the Anne Frank Zentrum in Berlin, has already been used in the Netherlands and is also to be piloted in Poland and Hungary - all countries that lost millions of Jews to horrors of Nazi death camps.

Eric Heuvel, the book's Dutch graphic artist, previously worked as a history teacher and The Search is his sequel to his first book on Esther and Daniel's story, The Family Secret.

To create the story in the “Clear Line” style made famous by Herge's Tintin books, historians were closely involved and many of Mr Heuvel's drawings are based on original Nazi-era photographs.

Die Suche's publication and issue to students marks the 75th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's rise to power and the stepped-up efforts to make sure young Germans do not forget the darkest moment in European history.

The book is also available in English from the Anne Frank House, in Amsterdam.

Via The Telegraph

David Irving was unavailable for comment.