Let me start by saying this has nothing to do with politics or any current situation in the Middle East. This is about the manifestation of love and hate in the world today. I had an interesting conversation with a Jewish Rabbi a few weeks ago. We were discussing the frightening amount of pure hatred towards anyone Jewish that has recently surfaced in the United States. Once again, this is not about who should control what lands in the Middle East. In fact, you might be surprised how many Jewish people in the U.S. have very little interest in Israel. This post is about people hating others and being willing to hurt, kill or damage the property or businesses of anyone based purely on the fact that they are descended from people who are Jewish.
Hatred towards those who are different from us is un-Christian in whatever forms it takes. We may be teaching the children who attend our Bible classes that God is love and expects Christians to love everyone, but are we teaching them to stand up against hate when hating someone is the popular thing to do? Do they know what can happen when hatred is allowed to run unchecked in a person, a community, a country or a world? Are they susceptible to being swept up in supporting the latest target of societal hate? Can they disapprove of someone’s choices and still love, serve and share their faith with the person? Can they find ways to combat ideas and policies of people they find morally wrong without physically harming the people in some way? Can they debate ideas respectfully and verbally, rather than with violence and hate?
So back to my conversation. The Rabbi said that parents have told her they discourage their children from reading about the Holocaust because it is disturbing. The young people today may not have even read books about the Holocaust in school. They have no understanding of the horrible things that can happen when hatred goes unchecked. They don’t know about the Christians who stepped up in so many ways to try and save as many Jewish lives as they could. They don’t know the importance of standing up against hatred and stopping it before it gets out of control and people are injured, killed or their lives destroyed in some way.
I understand that you don’t have enough time in your Bible classes to teach all of the Bible your students need, much less to introduce books about a historical event outside of the Bible. What I would like to encourage you to do is find ways to encourage families to read age appropriate books about the Holocaust and discuss them together. What can they do now to stand up to hate and show love instead – even with people with whom they may have very little in common or disagree with fundamentally on some issue? Because ultimately the Holocaust was about more than just the Jewish people. It was about people with disabilities, the Romani people, twins, some Christians and others Hitler believed were expendable. The current anti-Semitism could swing and include Christians or some other cultural group that includes your children, their friends or people you know.
In ministry, we often have to encourage people to do the hard things. To go the extra mile. To be different than the culture around them. To stand up against evil when others merely look away or think it’s “cool” to join in. This is one of those times. Below are links to lists of books about the Holocaust suggested for various age groups. The book pictured is one I own that features stories of Christians helping Jewish children during the Holocaust. I can’t personally say that I have read every book on these lists, so please either pre-read books or give a similar warning to parents if you merely share the lists. However, you choose to address the issue, don’t let the people served by your ministry think hatred is acceptable or that they can ignore it when they see it.
Children’s books on the Holocaust. https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/books/reading-lists/holocaust-books-for-children
Middle grade and YA books on the Holocaust. https://www.slj.com/story/Commemorate-Holocaust-Remembrance-Day-with-this-Booklist-libraries-students
Books about the Danish rescue (involving large numbers of Christian helpers) for a variety of age levels. https://mjhnyc.org/blog/a-reading-list-for-courage-to-act-rescue-in-denmark/