By Laurie Baron, Ph.D
To the melody of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now.’
SAN DIEGO — “Teachers in a Texas school district were told last week that a new state law requiring them to present multiple perspectives about “widely debated and currently controversial” issues meant they needed to make “opposing” views on the Holocaust available to students.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 10/14/2021
Lies and cries that Jews were gassed
That’s not what happened in the past.
To Polish camps they were amassed.
Where they worked and played.
But Hitler now is wrongly cursed.
He only placed his country first.
Let’s get his bad rap reversed.
Change how he is portrayed.
We’ll study him from both sides now.
The good, the lies, and still somehow.
He tried to purify his race.
For Aryans that’s no disgrace.
The KKK merely aspired
To regain slaves they had acquired.
That’s why they set crosses on fire:
To reclaim what they owned.
But now they’re blamed for hating Blacks
They don’t deserve to take such flak.
They rightly want their country back
And that should be condoned.
We’ll study them from both sides now.
They fought for Whites and still somehow.
Our struggle is for liberty.
And for no more CRT.
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Baron is professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University. He may be contacted via lawrence.baron@sdjewishworld.com. San Diego Jewish World points out to new readers that this column is satire, and nothing herein should be taken literally.
The following is a statement issued by Chairman of the Board Bruce Ratner and President and CEO Jack Kliger on behalf of New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in response to reports that the Carroll Independent School District in Texas encouraged teaching “opposing perspectives” on the Holocaust:
“The Holocaust is not up for debate. It is one of the most documented atrocities in human history and is, in fact, very recent history. While six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, along with hundreds of thousands of others from targeted groups, there are still today living survivors. To encourage the teachings of Holocaust denial, misinformation, and bigotry in our nation’s classrooms is an offense to all, but it is particularly cruel to those survivors, many of whom have bravely committed to sharing their eyewitness accounts with today’s students. Our Museum is honored to run a survivors’ Speakers Bureau; we share their commitment to ‘never forget.’
Holocaust education is essential, intrinsic to our institution’s mission, and increasingly important in the United States amidst surging white nationalism. Our students deserve a curriculum that is rooted in fact—and that encourages empathy. There is no ethical alternative.”
We invite educators nationwide to review our free, curriculum resources here:
https://mjhnyc.org/education/