Why didn’t any of these Jewish children hit back? The only time a bully is afraid or backs off is when he is confronted by force.
“Don’t hit me. My people died in the Holocaust is music to the ears of the bully.
When Schindler’s List came out some Jewish organziation paid for black youngsters from a high school or middle school to go to the movie. They laughed and made fun of the Jews suffering under the Nazis. Thewse sociopathic youngsters who were the product of single parents and the welfare check could not show any empathy much less sympathy.

My advice to these Jewish parents is teach your children how to be strong, not weak and fight and not share.

Bill Levy

John,

Perhaps living too close to the burning river has dulled your senses to the historical context here and why some people would take this more seriously.

Certainly one could argue that these are just kids being kids, but there is a history of this sort of thing leading to more serious incidents.

Many of us are the children or grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. We are familiar with stories of what happened when neighbors suddenly turned on neighbor.

We know stories of relatives hiding in the fields from the Cossacks, of the Inquisition and all sorts of nasty stuff.

We also are familiar with stories of quotas for how many Jews could be admitted into universities, or country clubs that denied entrance to us and numerous other issues that really aren’t cute anecdotes that we tell around the kitchen table.

The thing is that when you find children engaging in this sort of dehumanizing behavior you slap it down. Certainly there is reason to be careful in your approach, but there is also reason to be vigilant about it.

They were “just playing” is not even close to being an acceptable excuse.

Megan

I’m sure you can tell from the tone that I was not excusing the adults who dropped the ball and left us ignorant. I will not do the same to my girls.

Thanks for the rec of Paper Clips–I will look into it.

I think you espouse things we want to believe, but as a parent who has spent time in the schools and currently has a child in middle school, I disagree with your conclusions. I know there are other people who share your conclusions, I’m just repeating that I do not.

And frankly, I guess, the argument that we just wouldn’t hear about it so much or there wouldn’t have been as big a stink?

That has zero connection to how wrong it is to have a “hit” anyone day. Or to pick on kids who are fat, black, short or Chinese.

It’s just wrong, Elise. That’s how I feel, anyway.

I think there are several things going on here.

1. The propensity for humans to notice that some people are different than they are, and to put them into categories, a behavior that starts very young.

2. That any kind of selective pointing of fingers at people who represent a group that has been subject to discrimination or abuse is an anathema to thoughtful, civilized adults.

The kids could just as easily picked “fat kids” or “black kids” or “short kids” or “chinese kids” or “red headed kids” to “hit”, and then it might have been some other group up in arms. But it wouldn’t be about anti-semitic behavior.

Is it racist or bigoted for a child to notice that someone is different from them? No. It certainly looks that way when the next step is to “hit” or “tap” a person for their differences though.

Remembering how clueless I was as a six grader I tend to think that these kids stepped over a line that that they had no idea was there.

The lesson for them should be about basic human courtesy and respect, for ALL.

So with that in mind, I tell you this: I received word of this incident from a friend who lives in Chicago, as I wrote above, who learned of the situation because she used to live in that area. It had nothing to do with the ADL. I really could care less about what the ADL does on any day to day basis – I’m not an AIPAC supporter nor am I big ADL fan – never have been, don’t expect to be. I think both entities like many others serve important functions, but my upsetment over this incident has nothing to do with the ADL.

And I would guess that Gloria Ferris and others who’ve expressed outrage about the incident also do so with no connection to the ADL. So while you may have a beef with the ADL, clearly there are people who don’t even know who or what the ADL is. As far as I’m concerned – they can focus on whatever they want. It doesn’t impact me 99% of the time.

There’s a hornet’s nest here because the kids were wrong, the educators are showing some serious problems with understanding the egregiousness of what has happened and people are right to be upset.

That you aren’t, well, you own that and that’s fine.

But again, I completely disagree with your opinion about it being as trivial as I read your comments to indicate you believe this incident is/was.

The first clue that it’s serious is the “Hit a…Day” – Hit? Who the hell has a “hit” something or someone day as a spirit event?

That’s just ill, John.

I know exactly what my father would have said, he would have said you are not allowed to hit anyone and particularly not the Jewish kid…are you crazy I could loose my house.