Thread by @CarlyPildis

This is a thread about what happened at a DC Public school this week. Third graders were told that the Holocaust happened because "Jews ruined Christmas" and asked to reenact scenes the gas chambers.

I can't talk about this in the abstract, this is deeply personal to me.

I learned about the Holocaust at a very very young age... like before Kindergarten. We had survivors in our family. My parents and the Jewish community around us didn't want kids to learn about it in whispers, but in sunlight, with love and support and books and hugs and warmth

There were parts of our family history that were so dark, violent, traumatic and dehumanizing that I am only just learning about them. Stories about how my family couldn't get everyone out.

It is a delicate and devastating moment, learning about the Holocaust as a Jewish child. It is necessary. It is painful. It is difficult for everyone involved. It requires the utmost sensitivity and nuance in a FAMILY setting, never mind a secular public school

Thankfully, generations of Holocaust educators have dedicated their lives to this task, to the most gut wrenching work of teaching our precious children the impossibly painful truth. They painstakingly created resources to teach our children the cruelest of truths of humankind.

I can't imagine how violated I would feel if this happened to my baby, who loves being Jewish and has yet to grasp the evils of antisemitism in her precious, still developing mind. I have been privileged to shelter her in a way past generations were not.

It is not just a violation of the Jewish kids in the classroom, but a grave disservice to every child forced to be part of this. This never should have happened and I am grateful that the school took immediate action. This is a travesty of education.

It is a unique and terrible pain, understanding how hated you are. Once your taught this, no matter who you are or what hate you face, it never really goes away. It affects you. Its a part of you always.

I want you to understand, Holocaust Ed is living and breathing. Intergenerational trauma never goes away. There are still lessons to learn, whether you are a child or an adult seeking justice.

I am grateful to be part of @ADL an organization that fighting for change. I am grateful for every Holocaust educator, every piece of legislation fighting for the lessons of the Holocaust to live on. I am grateful for the outrage, it gives me hope.

One more thing, Thank you @ADL_WashDC for all your work this week. I admire you tremendously and I am grateful for all that you do.... especially this.

This thread is blowing up, so if you read it, I would really appreciate if you donated to @ADL