First and foremost, I am a mother. And as many mothers know, that tends to be our number one identity after having children. As mothers, we want to protect our children and see them thrive socially and academically. We want them to feel safe.
What happens when, despite our best efforts, we cannot protect our children?
It just so happens that my children and I are Jewish. The last year and a half has been incredibly challenging, watching my son struggle with feeling safe inside and outside the classroom. Now, it seems that I may have to start worrying that my daughter may begin to experience the same struggles simply because she is Jewish.
When my son was in the sixth grade, he was surrounded by fellow students, some of whom he considered friends. The students were giving him the Nazi salute while saying “Hail Hitler” (the correct language would be “Heil Hitler”).
A student he thought was his friend grabbed him and told him: “I am taking you to a special train that goes to Auschwitz, Jew.” This incident was understandably incredibly traumatic for my son as he understands that Jews who entered Auschwitz had approximately a 10% chance of survival. Unfortunately, little action was taken by the school in response to this incident, an incident that is considered battery in Idaho.