LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Eisenhower and the Holocaust
The remarks by Spanish River High principal William Latson brings painful memories to me.
I had just turned 12 years old when I viewed the newspaper article showing Dwight Eisenhower, who was then the the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, standing at the edge of one of the death camps, imploring reporters and photographers to get as many pictures as they could of the scene.
“I made the visit deliberately in order to be in a position to give firsthand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to “propaganda,” Eisenhower was quoted as saying in a cable to General George Marshall.
Eisenhower added that he was deeply moved by what he saw and subsequently requested that members of Congress come out to view the death camps.
Frankly, I believe that copies of these photos and Eisenhower’s words should be hanging up in every classroom in Florida to dispel any thought students may have, or heard at home, that the Holocaust didn’t happen.
There cannot be any “neutrality” on this issue. The facts are what they are and are embedded in the inglorious history of the Nazi regime.
Robert S. Newman, Boca Raton
Shame on you
Your editorial “The Principal and the Holocaust” was well thought out and well written until the second to last paragraph stating “It’s not open and shut, though, that he should be fired. The new law is problematic. Indeed, we wrote earlier that it could inhibit and punish legitimate criticism of Israel’s conduct vis a vis the Palestinians, and Latson could make an issue of that if he were to contest his dismissal.”
This principal gave equal credibility to a fringe belief that gives encouragement to those that want to harm me, my family and my community. He also violated the law and whether you think it may be unconstitutional, which many disagree with you, that is the law as written until the Courts make a contrary determination. He should be fired, period.
Injecting the irrelevant Israel-Palestine issue in this piece softens the edges of your appropriate unequivocal prior statement about the terrible reality of Holocaust denial. You are literally doing exactly the same thing that William Latson did. Shame on you.
Seth Hyman, Orlando
MSD’s Holocaust class
Although Palm Beach County high school principal William Latson chose to be “politically neutral” about the Holocaust, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Principal Ty Thompson chose to be the opposite.
Six years ago, he decided that Stoneman Douglas needed to have a separate, yearlong academic elective, Holocaust Studies. Since then, more than 1,000 students have participated in the program. Students study factual material, reading non-fiction publications, and create a dialogue of mutual respect.
The elective attracts students of diverse backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of tolerance, as we invite authors, filmmakers, WWII Veterans, and area Holocaust Survivors to actually meet our students and engage them in meaningful conversations.
Kudos to Principal Thompson for his foresight into what would become an incredible life experience for our students, as they are learning to move forward.
Ivy Schamis, Holocaust Educator at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland