Pennsylvania’s diocese of Harrisburg has condemned a Catholic school for using a replica of the Auschwitz gate on its Halloween float on Friday night.
Videos of the parade show St. Joseph Catholic School’s float with the ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ replica gate on it. The school is in the Diocese of Harrisburg.
The Most Reverend Timothy C. Senior, Bishop of Harrisburg, said he was “shocked and appalled” by the scene.
Inclusion of the image 'profoundly offensive and unacceptable'
“The inclusion of this image, one that represents the horrific suffering and murder of millions of innocent people, including six million Jews during the Holocaust, is profoundly offensive and unacceptable,” he said. “While the original, approved design for this float did not contain this imagery, it does not change the fact that this highly recognizable symbol of hate was included.”
He apologized to the Jewish community on behalf of the diocese, and said that Catholics stand “firmly against all forms of antisemitism, hatred, and prejudice, which are rampant in our society.” He also lauded the Church’s relationship with the Jewish community as one of deep respect, friendship, and shared faith in God.
“We will work with the school community to ensure that this incident becomes an opportunity for education and reflection, and review approval processes so that such a grievous incident is never repeated.”
The Diocese said it would be working with the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition and the Anti-Defamation League to provide information to the local school community on the horrific suffering endured by the Jewish people during the Holocaust, as well as antisemitism.
A man named Galen Shelly identified himself on social media as the person who designed the float. He said he was “saddened to see the conversation drifting with such certainty so far off the point I had intended to make.”
He claimed he could not find any new or “used” cemetery entrances available in time and began making his own. He added that he was inspired by a church group trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, which “deeply moved” him and felt including it was “a positive spiritual message” about not forgetting the past.
He also explained that the use of the slogan ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ was meant to be a metaphor for the false belief that “works” alone can save us.
Shelly apologized to the school as well as the Metcalf Family Cleaning company, which was pulling the float, but which he assured had nothing to do with the design.
Metcalf Cleaning apologized for the incident, saying that while it volunteered to pull the float, it was not involved in the creation of its decorations or messaging.
“Regrettably, the float contained a phrase in German that was later found to be derogatory,” it said. “At the time, we were unaware of its meaning and significance. We recognize that we should have taken a closer look at the float prior to the parade, and we are truly sorry for that oversight.”