Making History Together – educating the next generation through hidden history

In 2020, during the uncertainty and isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Together Plan launched an ambitious new educational initiative: Making History Together. Designed for young people aged 12 to 13, the programme uses the lens of hidden history,  specifically the history of the Jews of the Soviet Union — to explore themes of identity, resilience, leadership, and social responsibility.

The history of the Holocaust in the Soviet Union is often overlooked or misunderstood. Yet to fully understand the Holocaust in its entirety, we must acknowledge what happened across the territories of the former Soviet Union, where approximately 2.7 million Jews, nearly half of the six million murdered during the Holocaust, were massacred. The experience in the Soviet Union was very different from that of Western Europe, and for many years these histories became politicised and therefore less widely discussed.

Through Making History Together, The Together Plan seeks to provide young learners with a safe, thoughtful, and age-appropriate introduction to this important chapter of history, laying a strong foundation for future Holocaust education.

The programme is designed as an interactive educational experience that is both engaging and enjoyable. Across six dynamic sessions, students are encouraged to make meaningful personal connections while gaining critical insights into how individuals can make a positive difference in the world today.

Each session explores topics of historical importance; including the Jewish partisans, propaganda, antisemitism, and the impact of discrimination. Alongside the historical learning, every topic is paired with a self-development theme such as identity, bravery, honesty, empathy, leadership, curiosity, or social justice.

Originally delivered online during the pandemic, the programme evolved significantly once in-person learning became possible again. Over the past three years, The Together Plan has been piloting Making History Together at Yavneh College in North London, adapting and refining the programme through hands-on delivery and direct student engagement.

Rather than relying solely on traditional classroom teaching, the programme uses workshops, games, films, arts and crafts, and interactive activities to encourage students to explore history in creative and memorable ways.

Each participant receives a dedicated learning pack containing hidden histories to explore before every session, alongside optional research exercises that can be completed during or after the programme. Students are also invited to contribute creative responses through poetry, artwork, and written reflections, many of which become part of The Together Plan’s interactive travelling exhibition.

Now two-thirds of the way through its third pilot year, Making History Together continues to inspire young learners to engage deeply with history while reflecting on their own role in shaping the future.

This month, we are proud to share a poem submitted by one of the students taking part in this year’s Making History Together programme, which clearly demonstrates its impact, and  the power of educating through creative informal workshops and games to help the next generation connect with hidden histories and carry their lessons forward:

The Last Flame, by Leo Grynberg

The candles burn with fading light.

As darkness swallows up the night.

The songs we sang have disappeared,

Replaced by silence, cold and fear.

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The streets once danced with joy and prayer,

Now empty shadows fill the air.

The laughter that our people knew

Feels like a dream that once was true.

---

They tell us we must hide our names,

Forget our faith, erase our flames.

As if our hearts can lose their fire,

As if our souls will simply tire.

---

My mother cries when night grows deep,

Thinking that I am asleep.

I hear her whisper broken prayers,

For safer days and fewer fears.

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My father stares down at the floor,

He smiles and laughs with us no more.

The light inside his tired eyes

Seems to fade a little each night.

---

Tomorrow should bring joy and song

A day I waited, for so long

But my happiness feels small

Like winter snow about to fall.

---

Yet in the dark, one candle glows,

A tiny light against the cold.

It flickers weekly in the air

But somehow still remains, there.

---

And if one day our voices fade,

And if our prayers are wasted away,

I hope that somewhere, deep inside

Our final flame will still survive.

---

Because a people filled with light,

Do not disappear in one night.

Even when the world turns cold,

A single spark can still hold hope.

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P.S. The smallest light can survive the darkest night.

Jennifer Saber, Jewish educator in the USA, was with us for our Making History Together session at Yavneh College. Read her article and her reflections – click here.

The next steps for the Making History Together programme is to attract funding so that it can be adapted for non-Jewish students, can be upscaled and replicated. Please support this initiative and help us grow and scale.

The Together Plan supports community capacity building projects which bring people together to ensure that Jewish heritage and history is preserved and that communities can grow and prosper.

Please support the work of The Together Plan – drop us a line to find out how – [email protected]