I was seven when my sister was born and by then I already knew roughly what happened in concentration camps. In my synagogue now, 0-5 year olds are taught that if they see anyone or anything that's at all suspicious to report it to an adult immediately. [immediately should be underlined] It's obvious how serious they are. How important it is that we understand. Children six years old and older are given examples. Someone wearing a warm coat on a day when it wasn't that cold could be hiding guns or other weapons. Someone with a large suitcase could be carrying a bomb. Someone asking questions about random things could be planning something. 3rd graders are told about all [all should be underlined] the synagogue shootings. The knowledge that it could happen at our synagogue, that we could be injured or killed, is everywhere. In 4th grade I had a lockdown drill. The adults were serious and barely hiding fear in that way I'd learned to recognize in the two years it had been since we joined the synagogue. They knew why we were doing it. 10 year olds listen to Holocaust survivors telling their stories. Anywhere else they'd be considered not even close to appropriate for children. 6th graders have a class where they are shown different examples of antisemitism and learn ways to respond to them. 7th graders have a Holocaust unit where they're taught way more than is every taught in schools. It's mostly review at that point. If you go to services on Saturdays, mentions of the shootings are everywhere. Even in front of small children. The small children who walk past the armed [armed should be underlined] security guard on their way into and out of the building. The slightly older children who read the scarily serious signs saying not to prop the doors open for any reason and telling children never to open the doors. Right now there is a discussion: should we be allowed to prop the doors to the beit midrash open? We know it's not secure. The question is, what are we more worried about: covid it being murdered? The answer is both.
