A children’s book website has been slammed by Jewish leaders for encouraging kids to dress up as a fictional victim of the Holocaust.
The blog post on the Children’s Books Daily website suggested children dress up as a character from The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, whose title character is a child being held at a Nazi death camp during World War II.
Titled ’23 Easy Book Week 2017 Costumes Inspired by Kids Favourite Books’, the post appeared on the website run by Megan Daley, a teacher librarian at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School in Brisbane.
A children’s book website has been slammed by Jewish leaders for encouraging kids to dress up as a fictional victim of the Holocaust (pictured)
The blog post on the Children’s Books Daily website suggested children dress up as a character from The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (pictured)
‘Its so wonderful that the book like The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas makes the ‘best loved’ list for kids,’ the post began, penned by blogger Bron Maxabella of parenting page Maxabella Loves.
‘One for older primary kids to honour, all you need are a pair of striped pyjamas,’ the post stated.
The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas is a novel about a young boy who moves with his family from Berlin to Poland and befriends a boy, wearing stripped clothing, on the other side of a fence, unaware he is in a concentration camp.
A comment was then added underneath by Daley, the website’s editor.
‘(Edit from Megan: Despite this being a book character who many readers young and old identify with, when choosing to dress as a historical figure, please remain sensitive to the feelings that can surround historical events portrayed in fiction.)’
An apology was made on the website’s Facebook page which was responded to with a mixture of support and outrage
Anti-Discrimination Commission’s Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, couldn’t believe the ‘shocking level of ignorance demonstrated by the person who authored this list’.
He has called for the introduction of mandatory Holocaust education in Australia following the suggestion on the post.
‘Clearly, this offensive and ill-judged suggestion is a timely wake call that we all have much work to do in ensuring that all everyone understands the enormity of the Holocaust, not only to the Jewish community, but to all the victims, the survivors and to those Australian soldiers who fought to defeat the Third Reich,’ the statement said.
The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas is a novel about a young boy who moves with his family from Berlin to Poland and befriends a boy in a concentration camp who wears ‘stripped pyjamas’
He suggested the person who wrote the text visit Auschwitz so they can grasp an idea of ‘the genocide that Hitler and his regime unleashed’ on their countless victims and ‘understand that this bizarre inclusion was tasteless, hurtful and offensive.’
The author of the post Maxabella Loves told Daily Mail Australia she now feels dreadful about the lapse in judgement made when penning the post.
‘I apologise unreservedly for including The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas in a list of ideas for Book Week costumes.
Anti-Discrimination Commission’s Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, couldn’t believe the ‘shocking level of ignorance demonstrated by the person who authored this list’
‘I had no thought beyond honouring a book that I love. I acknowledge and own the fact that it was a thoughtlessly insensitive mistake.’
She said she had no further comment to make, citing it was a ‘distressing time’.
An apology was made on the website’s Facebook page.
‘We have deleted the post with deep and sincere apologies to all of you and to Megan, who is devastated and would never knowingly cause offence to anyone,’ it read.
The post on the website has since been removed.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Megan Daley for comment.