How to talk to your kids about the Holocaust

by Deborah Fripp | Oct 17, 2018 | Changing the Way We Teach

“Mom, what do you know about the Holocaust?” You swallow, take a deep breath, play for time, your mind racing. “They’re not old enough to know about this,” you think to yourself frantically. “Can’t I hold on to their innocence just a little bit longer?” They’ll never be old enough. No one is old enough to really deal with the atrocities of the world. I know I’m not. But ignoring evil does not make it go away. Ignoring evil gives it space to grow. We must face evil, and we must help our children to face it. [redirects to the Times of Israel.]

Did you know (that was happening)?

by Deborah Fripp | Oct 3, 2018 | Changing the Way We Think

Recent events have made me realize that the question “Did you know?” can be more complicated than it sounds. The story of Brett Kavanagh and Christine Blasey Ford hits close to home for me, literally. I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1982, when Christine Blasey was attending the Holton-Arms School, I was attending a public middle school a mile and a half away. [Redirects to the Times of Israel.]

For Yom Kippur: Go Set a Watchman

by Deborah Fripp | Sep 18, 2018 | Changing the Way We Think

For the sin we have committed against You by running away from the chance to do good in order to make our lives easier. “I can’t live in a place that I don’t agree with and that doesn’t agree with me.” How many of us have had such a thought? How many of us live in neighborhoods of agreement? How many of us safely stay in our like-minded bubbles to avoid conversational conflict? [Redirects to the Times of Israel]

Americans, the Holocaust is not about you

by Deborah Fripp | Sep 5, 2018 | Changing the Way We Think

How do we tell the story of the Holocaust? Here in America, the Holocaust is taught from a distinctly American point of view. The story of the Holocaust typically begins in 1938, with a sudden explosion of hatred that penetrates the American isolationism. The story ends in 1945, when brave American soldiers throw open the gates of the concentration camps. “You are free,” they cry, and, the story implies, everyone goes home again. [Redirects to the Times of Israel]

Building communities through the stories of individuals

by Deborah Fripp | Aug 22, 2018 | Changing the Way We Teach

Storytelling is an ancient art that gives voice to our values and our history. Through our stories, we build our communities. But we can only appreciate the depth of these communities when we tell the stories of the individual people who make up the community. [Redirects to the Times of Israel.]

A new ritual for Yom HaShoah as the fragile window closes

by Deborah Fripp | Aug 8, 2018 | Commemorations

We have reached a tipping point where the Holocaust is changing from an immediate, traumatic memory to community history. At this transition, we have an obligation to frame how we as a Jewish community will commemorate this event for future generations. If we do not create some sort of ritual observance, then I fear that the Holocaust will fade into history, its lessons lost. I brought this idea to a meeting of Jewish educators… [Redirects to the Times of Israel.]

Does “Never Again” still have meaning?

by Deborah Fripp | Jul 26, 2018 | Changing the Way We Think

Never again is the anguished cry of Holocaust remembrance, seeking to find a meaning from the suffering. But can we still say never again when genocides have happened again, and again, and again? Does the phrase still have meaning? [Redirects to the Times of Israel.]

“There is no Jewish Question”

by Deborah Fripp | Jul 11, 2018 | Changing the Way We Think

In mid-1942, the prime minister of Finland, Johann Rangell, was asked by SS chief Heinrich Himmler about the “Jewish Question.” Rangell responded that there was no Jewish Question in Finland, only respected Jewish citizens. [Redirects to the Times of Israel.]

Why we should compare current events to the Holocaust

by Deborah Fripp | Jun 25, 2018 | Changing the Way We Think

As a well-known aphorism tells us, a spurious comparison to the Holocaust devolves an argument to a standstill. But a well-placed comparison to the Holocaust can be a call-to-action, can help to highlight bias and create change. [Redirects to the Times of Israel]

Can doing nothing be justified?

by Deborah Fripp | Jun 12, 2018 | Changing the Way We Think

If my neighbors are threatened, as the Jews were in the Holocaust, what should I do? Should I help my neighbors or should I protect my family? If I wait until the threat is obvious, then I will face such a choice. [Redirects to the Times of Israel.]

How to talk to your kids about the Holocaust

Did you know (that was happening)?

For Yom Kippur: Go Set a Watchman

Americans, the Holocaust is not about you

Building communities through the stories of individuals

A new ritual for Yom HaShoah as the fragile window closes

Does “Never Again” still have meaning?

“There is no Jewish Question”

Why we should compare current events to the Holocaust

Can doing nothing be justified?

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