In the wake of his series of stunning claims about Hitler not having gassed his own people and his conversion of concentration camps into “Holocaust centers,” the Anti-Defamation League is offering Sean Spicer some remedial education on the issue. “Your comparisons between Assad and Hitler were not only historically inaccurate but they also were inappropriate and offensive,” the organization’s CEO writes in a letter to Spicer, but they came during Passover, which involves “Understanding and being keenly aware of our history.”
While you have apologized, this week’s incident as well as others (notably, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day statement omitting Jews and your vociferous defense of it), have exposed a serious gap in your knowledge of the Holocaust, its impact, and the lessons we can learn from it.
For decades, ADL has been at the forefront of Holocaust education, providing trainings about the Nazi atrocities to a wide range of groups. We have conducted trainings for more than 130,000 law enforcement professionals and more than 35,447 educators, reaching more than 1,000,000 students. Our programs provide historical context for how the Holocaust was able to occur; teach the Holocaust as a human story; and create opportunities for critical thinking. Each of these educational programs focuses on the consequences of unchecked bigotry and hate.
ADL would be happy to conduct one of these trainings at your convenience for you, your staff, and anyone at the White House who may need to learn more about the Holocaust. We know you are very busy, but we believe a few hours learning this history will help you understand where you went wrong and prevent you from making these mistakes in the future.
Spicer, of course, isn’t the only person in the Trump White House who could use some history lessons. But Steve Bannon doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt Spicer’s getting here, since, while there’s a question mark on Spicer’s motivations, it’s crystal clear that Bannon actively rejects the lessons of history, or has embraced all the wrong ones. And Trump himself isn’t learning any lessons longer than sentence fragments.
(Via)