Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

D.C. School Staffer Sparks Outrage After Having Third Graders Reenact Horrific Holocaust Scenes

D.C. School Staffer Sparks Outrage After Having Third Graders Reenact Horrific Holocaust Scenes
INA FASSBENDER/Getty Images

A staff member at Watkins Elementary School in the Washington, D.C. area has been placed on leave after having third graders reenact moments from the Holocaust.

According to The Washington Post,the staff member, who's name has not been disclosed, had the third grade students play out a number of horrific scenarios which took place during the Holocaust.


These included pretending to dig mass graves, mimicking shooting other students, Imagining they were riding a train to a concentration camp and pretending to die in a gas chamber.

Antisemitic comments were also part of the staffer's lesson.

An email sent out by school principal MScott Berkowitz even revealed one student was assigned to play Adolf Hitler and had to pretend to commit suicide as Hitler did.

The student in question was Jewish.

The students tangled up in this horrific moment had been sent to the school library to work on an end of term presentation before the offending staff member corralled them into the reenactment.

Berkowitz apologized to all the parents of the students involved in this shockingly ill-advised project, and condemned the actions of the staff member responsible.

"Earlier today, we received a report of a classroom of students receiving a lesson that included portraying different perspectives of the Holocaust."
"I want to acknowledge the gravity of this poor instructional decision, as students should never be asked to act out or portray any atrocity, especially genocide, war, or murder."

The students were even reportedly told by this staff member to keep the reenactment a secret, but the students told their homeroom teacher upon returning to the classroom.

Making matters worse, this didn't even appear to be a misguided attempt at teaching children about the horrors of the Holocaust.

A parent of one of the students told The Washington Post when a student asked why Hitler and the Nazi's did this, the staff member replied, "because the Jews ruined Christmas."

The Anti Defamation League of Washington D.C. expressed their horror at the incident on Twitter.

Indeed, many expressed their astonishment and disgust, with most demanding the staff member in question be fired immediately.







Included among the justifiably outraged were some who had family members who died in the Holocaust.

The incident came only a few weeks after Swastikas and bigoted messages were painted on the walls of the men's bathroom at Washington D.C's Woodrow Wilson High School.

After this latest incident was reported to The D.C. Public Schools’ Comprehensive Alternative Resolution and Equity Team, the staff member was placed on leave, pending an investigation.

A spokesperson for the team also issued a statement, apologizing to everyone affected by the actions of the staff member.

"This was not an approved lesson plan, and we sincerely apologize to our students and families who were subjected to this incident."
"[The school district] has launched an investigation, and students are being supported by our DCPS Comprehensive Alternative Resolution and Equity Team."

The email sent out by Principal Berkowitz also made it known all the children who partook in the appalling reenactment met with the school's mental health response team after what they went through became known.

More from Trending

Kim Kardashian
Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images

Kim Kardashian Roasted After Seemingly Awkward Photo Fail At Jeff Bezos' Wedding Goes Viral

Kim Kardashian may be the queen of the social media snap, but she's getting roasted online for her latest attempt at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding in Venice.

From the elaborate trappings and guest list to the weeks of angry protests by Venetians furious that a Trump-funding technofascist and his celebrity sycophants were taking over their city for days on end, the wedding was nothing short of a spectacle.

Keep ReadingShow less
Abby Phillip; Donald Trump
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty Images

CNN's Abby Phillip Shares Classy Clapback After Trump Lashes Out At Her On Social Media

During the first term of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, his relationship with the press was probably best described as volatile. He had his favorites—the ones that stroked his ego—and the ones he called "enemies of the people."

CNN has definitely been on Trump’s hit list for years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Brandon Gill; Zohran Mamdani
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Ripped For Racist Reaction To Mamdani Eating Rice With His Hands In Campaign Video

Texas Republican Representative Brandon Gill is facing harsh criticism after he told New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to "go back to the Third World" after Mamdani shared a video of himself eating rice and lentils with his hands and talking about how his upbringing in Uganda and South Africa shaped his understanding of the Palestinian struggle.

At one point during his meal, Mamdani, who was raised in an Indian family, said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Kristi Noem
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via Getty Images

Homeland Security Slammed After Sharing Bonkers AI Image To Promote 'Alligator Alcatraz'

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came under fire after it shared an AI-generated image of alligators wearing ICE hats to promote a proposed "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, a decision that prompted critics to call out the post's fascistic and cruel nature.

The image shows the alligators in caps marked “ICE” beside a barbed-wire fence and was captioned simply:

Keep ReadingShow less
The feet of two people snuggling under the covers
woman in white dress lying on white bed

Couples Who've Been Together For 20+ Years Explain How They Keep Their Sex Life Active

With each passing year, all couples tend to worry that their relationship might change over time.

That they'll stop being as spontaneous, affectionate or energetic as they were when they first began their courtship.

Keep ReadingShow less