Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg apologized Friday for a grade school’s Halloween Parade float that included imagery with deep connections to the Holocaust. The float in question was entered in Thursday night’s Hanover Halloween Parade by the St. Joseph School there. Photos show what appears to be a look-alike of one of the main gates at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, including the phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei.” That phrase - which translates literally to “Work Makes You Free” - was commonly posted at World War II-era concentration camps throughout Europe, including Auschwitz, the deadliest of them all. It was likely used, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, to mock the mostly Jewish populations sentenced to harsh, forced labor in them. The phrase’s appearance on the school float started raising concerns Friday afternoon on the Hanover Area Watch Group Facebook page, where dozens of posters were aghast about the optics - whether accidental or intended. “Any educator who missed the historical significance of this sign and put it in a parade should resign,” wrote the woman who kicked off the discussion. “Saying “I think this was just an accident” isn’t an excuse." “This is a good example of the encroaching rise of fascism in this country,” another poster wrote. “A group of people got together and collectively decided that was ok to make... There needs to be a reckoning and consequences for this and it’s need to happen quickly.” School officials and parade organizers with the Hanover Jaycees could not be reached for comment by PennLive Friday evening, so the float’s precise origin story was not immediately available. But Bishop Senior was flatly condemning the situation by Friday night. “I was shocked and appalled to learn that the Halloween parade float from Saint Joseph Catholic school in Hanover included a replica of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp gate, bearing the words ‘Arbeit Macht Frei,” Senior said in the diocese’s statement. “While the original, approved design for this float did not contain this imagery, it does not change the fact that this highly recognizable symbol of hate was included.” Senior said that “was profoundly offensive and unacceptable,” and he expressed his “sincere apology to our Jewish brothers and sisters and to all who were hurt or offended by this display... “We will work with the school community to ensure that this incident becomes an opportunity for education and reflection, and review approval processes so that such a grievous incident is never repeated.” Senior, the diocese said, also pledged to work with the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition and the Anti-Defamation League to provide information to the local school community on the horrific suffering endured by the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and continued antisemitism seen throughout the world today. The Holocaust refers to that period during World War II when Nazi Germany, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, and its collaborators killed nearly two out of every three European Jews, or about 6 million in total.
