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Deborah Fripp

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Jun 25, 2018, 11:18 PM

Why we should compare current events to the Holocaust

As a well-known aphorism tells us, a spurious comparison to the Holocaust devolves an argument to a standstill. But a well-placed comparison to the Holocaust can be a call-to-action, can help to highlight bias and create change. Last week, Nicholas...

Jun 12, 2018, 8:32 PM

Can doing nothing be justified?

If my neighbors are threatened, as the Jews were in the Holocaust, what should I do? Should I help my neighbors or should I protect my family? If I wait until the threat is obvious, then I will face...

May 30, 2018, 5:47 PM

For Memorial Day, Thank You to the Liberators

Suffering does not move armies, but suffering does move soldiers. Much as we might wish it otherwise, World War II was not fought to save the Jews. It was fought to stop aggressive countries from changing the balance of power...

May 23, 2018, 9:57 PM

Safety Nets for Teaching the Holocaust to Children

Discussing the Holocaust with young children is important but takes careful planning. How we present Holocaust stories makes a big difference to whether the lessons feel traumatic to them. The last few weeks we’ve been discussing ways of teaching the...

May 16, 2018, 4:46 PM

Teaching the Holocaust in Kindergarten

Done carefully, Holocaust education should start in kindergarten and continue with progressively deeper layers into adulthood. The basis of this age-layered Holocaust education is twofold: we must prepare our students for the full story, but we need not tell the...

May 2, 2018, 2:52 PM

A 2nd Mistake We Make Teaching the Holocaust

Role play is a traditional learning tool, but in Holocaust education, it only leads to tears and to a lack of learning. When I went to Yad Vashem’s How to Teach the Holocaust seminar, everyone said, “bring lots of tissues.”...

Apr 25, 2018, 8:52 AM

3 Mistakes We Make Teaching the Holocaust

When we teach the Holocaust, we want our students to ask questions like “How could this happen?” and “What can we do to prevent this from happening again?” Too often, what students ask about the Holocaust is “Why do...

Apr 18, 2018, 5:07 AM

Reclaiming our strength – the Holocaust from a Jewish perspective

We all agree that the Holocaust is an essential part of our children’s education. However, how we teach the Holocaust to our children is critically important. How we teach the Holocaust to our children shapes how they see themselves,...

Apr 11, 2018, 7:46 AM

Breaking the Holocaust myth of evil monsters and indifferent bystanders

What do you think of when you hear the word “Holocaust”? I bet you think of helpless Jews wiped away by evil monsters while the world watched and did nothing. Every word in that sentence is wrong. The Jews were...

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About Me

Dr. Deborah Fripp is President of the Teach the Shoah Foundation and Holocaust Programs Coordinator at Congregation Kol Ami in Flower Mound, Texas.