A Jewish teen's birthday party in Paradise Valley, Arizona backfired when young party goers brought cupcakes decorated with swastika symbol.
The teen's mother posted the incident on Facebook. She wrote that she hopes parents will use it as an opportunity to teach sensitivity about the subject of the Holocaust. The post spread and pictures of the swastika topping began spreading on social media.
The girls at the party told the Jewish teen's mom they did it to “be funny.” But the mother said the girls at the party recently had a lesson on the holocaust, so they must have known very well what the symbol meant and still thought the joke funny.
The ADL director in Arizona, Carlos Galindo-Elvira, says “Parents must teach their children the meaning of symbols tied to acts of hate like the swastika. When you joke with symbols like the swastika you begin to normalize them and make them casual within our society,” Galindo Elvira told 12 News.
The teen's mother posted an update online saying the girls apologized and that their parents spoke with them about the severity of using symbols like the swastika.
Perhaps parents can use the incident as a catalyst for discussion with their children to increase sensitivity about the Holocaust and the danger of trivializing its symbols.