My son was surrounded by kids giving the Nazi salute. Idaho needs better education | Opinion

First and foremost, I am a mother. And as many mothers know, that tends to be our number one identity after having children. As mothers, we want to protect our children and see them thrive socially and academically. We want them to feel safe.

What happens when, despite our best efforts, we cannot protect our children?

It just so happens that my children and I are Jewish. The last year and a half has been incredibly challenging, watching my son struggle with feeling safe inside and outside the classroom. Now, it seems that I may have to start worrying that my daughter may begin to experience the same struggles simply because she is Jewish.

When my son was in the sixth grade, he was surrounded by fellow students, some of whom he considered friends. The students were giving him the Nazi salute while saying “Hail Hitler” (the correct language would be “Heil Hitler”).

A student he thought was his friend grabbed him and told him: “I am taking you to a special train that goes to Auschwitz, Jew.” This incident was understandably incredibly traumatic for my son as he understands that Jews who entered Auschwitz had approximately a 10% chance of survival. Unfortunately, little action was taken by the school in response to this incident, an incident that is considered battery in Idaho.

Both of my children started a new school for the 2023/2024 school year. We had high hopes that this would be a fresh start, a place where my children could learn and have fun with their peers without having to hear Holocaust jokes. Then Oct. 7 happened. It felt as though nowhere was immune to the rise in blatant antisemitism. Now Jews are being compared to Nazis, an alarming trend of Holocaust inversion.

When we inadequately teach about the Holocaust, students are unable to grasp the actual severity of the topic. They start to think that making jokes about the Holocaust is edgy and a way to push limits. They believe every war is comparable to the horrors of the Holocaust. They create false equivalencies, which leads to Holocaust distortion and eventually denial. There are real-world implications when we fail to responsibly teach about the Holocaust.

Now more than ever we need to ensure that Idaho students are receiving the responsible Holocaust education they deserve. This need is why I co-founded the Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho, CHAI. At CHAI, we are tirelessly working to bring opportunities inside and outside the classroom for Idahoans to learn about the Holocaust in a responsible manner.