Photo description

A group of German soldiers and civilians look on as a Jewish man is forced to cut the beard of Tomaszow Mazowiecki.  The beard is a symbol of his faith and culture.

This photograph showing the public humiliation of a Jewish man illustrates that there were many levels of participation during the Holocaust.  Teachers need to remind students that just because Nazi propaganda, policies, and beliefs are under discussion in class, it does not mean that they are acceptable.  Students should be encouraged to discuss the action of bystanders who as human beings also were capable of moral judgments and independent decision-making.