ANTISEMITISM
How To Reenact The Holocaust
The perils of teaching
We can all agree the Holocaust was a terrible event. Teaching about the Holocaust should be in every curriculum in every classroom. But how do you make a lesson like that really sink in? How do you have maximum impact on your students? How can you really embed the pain and trauma experienced by millions and leave a lasting impression?
One teacher in Mexico has an idea.
What better way to teach her children about the evils of Nazism than by fancy dress? Ana Luisa Nevárez dorns the uniform of Hitler as she reenacts the Holocaust. ‘Pew Pew’ she goes as she guns down her victims during Holocaust lessons. What does it feel like to be part of a large organization designed to inflict terror on millions of Jews? Why not all stand up together and ‘sieg heil’ in class? Get a real feel of the unison and power a gesture like that can have.
I’m all for education but sometimes you can go too far. Is it really necessary to dress up as Adolf to make a point? Do you really need to wear a fake mustache, Nazi uniform and give a Nazi salute to leave an impression on your students? Isn’t the story, the actual history, impactful enough?
Ana Luisa Nevárez has won countless awards for her teaching. They may well be for her wonderful reenactments of historical events. But this shit isn’t a fun day in class.
Unfortunately, Ana Luisa Nevárez isn’t the first teacher to take a hands-on approach when it comes to Nazi Germany. In December, a school in Washington DC placed a staff member on leave after they allegedly forced a class to reenact events from the Holocaust.
Teaching eight and nine-year-old students how to dig mass graves can not be the best method of learning about the atrocities of the Holocaust. One child was made to play the role of Hitler as they ordered the shooting of Jewish children to fill the graves.
An investigation was underway as the school admitted the staff member had veered from the curriculum. Principal Mscott Berkowitz acknowledged “the gravity of this poor instructional decision”.
I am all in favor of teachers bending the rules to make an impact but time and time again we witness poor judgment by people who are influencing and shaping young minds. An approved lesson plan is there for a reason. It has been vetted and deemed appropriate by an authority on teaching. If the teacher feels there is a better way than submit that to the principals.
The principal added in an email sent to the parents and published online by local news outlet Fox5DC, "Students should never be asked to act out or portray any atrocity, especially genocide, war or murder."
The instructor told students that the Holocaust took place because ‘Jews ruined Christmas’.
Is it okay to reenact a school shooting? Is it okay to reenact racial prejudice by shouting racial slurs? Is it okay to pretend to be Nazis while singling out Jews? Is it okay to have children pretend they were on transportation trains and in gas chambers? Is that really your idea of how to have an impactful lesson?
If you answered yes to any of those questions then you have a serious problem.
“A report published by the American Jewish Committee in October found that one in four American Jews reported being the target of anti-Semitism in the last 12 months, with the same number saying that they have changed their behaviour because of fear.” Source BBC.
There is a rise of antisemitism not only in America but globally. Incidents like these need to be highlighted and shared. Our school systems need to be a safe place for children to learn empathy and tolerance.
It’s as simple as that.