Throughout my adulthood, I questioned the practice of showing film footage of the concentration camps in my Catholic Elementary School. I believe it was 4th grade, but I can’t be sure because I was so young. I can recall the room and the screen in which the horrors were displayed, and I remember the assault on my young mind clearly.
For most of my life, I felt that it was too early to show me such things. Naked bodies being moved with a bulldozer and pushed into a pit, images of people that looked like skeletons behind a barbed-wired fence so stunned and tired that they watched American troops arrive with blank stares instead of joy at their prospective freedom. It was horrific.
Today, I’m sickened by the anti-Jewish rhetoric yelled by American generations that are the bloodlines of those who freed the Jews from the Concentration camps. The slap in the face to the sacrifices made by American troops in WWII is proof that we’ve failed to educate them on the historical significance of UNITED NATION’s decision to recognize a Jewish State for the protection of the Jewish people. So now, I think the nuns were correct in showing us the WWII footage at such a young age because it’s burned into my memory.
Today’s American youth displays a lack of historical references, which must be corrected. They can’t see this situation clearly, and they’re showing a lack of critical thinking. This is because of coddling and the inability of American parents and schools to recognize the importance of the study of history and geopolitics.
Though our military is showing support for the stability of the Middle East, it in no way exempts the average American from civility on American soil. Whether or not a person believes both Israel (and/or) Palestine has the right to exist DOES NOT belong on our American streets with venom, spit, and violence. Yelling death to Jews or Palestinians is wrong and has become threatening to the peace and stability of our country. Therefore, I believe it’s time for each state to call up its National Guard as a reminder of who we are and what we stand for as a country. Though our military is showing support for the stability of the Middle East, it in no way exempts the average American from civility on US soil. And parents, it’s time for you to get to work and start educating your young adults because our schools seem to have omitted this significant piece of history.