KIRKWOOD, Mo. – Earlier this week, a Kirkwood middle school teacher was accused by a Jewish parent of being a Holocaust denier. Now, there’s a different version of that story to share.
A prominent local rabbi says he met with the teacher after our story aired, and he says the teacher may be the last person who would deny the Holocaust.
Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham says the teacher flat-out denies the accusation but has his hands tied because the district won’t allow him to speak out. Abraham feels the teacher has been misrepresented and wishes the district would do more to publicly defend him.
“I think it’s just important to recognize that there’s always more than one side to a story,” he said. “He’s one of the last people that would be denying the Holocaust—he actually, in fact, is one of the main teachers of the Holocaust at the middle school and had pushed the district to have more Holocaust education, and he’s also been the one taking students to the Holocaust museum the last couple of years, (which) was already planned for this year as well.”
The incident happened back on Aug. 14 during curriculum night at Nipher Middle School. The parent, who asked not to be identified in the original story, said the incident unfolded after parents noticed the eighth-grade social studies teacher had a Palestinian flag on display in his classroom but not an Israeli one.
The parent, who is a descendant of a Holocaust survivor, said she confronted the teacher and urged him to also display an Israeli flag or take the Palestinian flag down. She said the teacher described the Holocaust as “her version of history.”
The teacher told Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham that the Palestinian flag had been in his classroom for about a decade, prior to the war between Israel and Hamas. He has since taken the flag down.
The Kirkwood School District released the following statement to FOX 2 Friday:
“While we have received questions about the specifics of the situation, we cannot provide details or information that would violate the confidentiality of those involved.”
The district, however, took quick action and partnered with faith leaders in the Jewish community and the Anti-Defamation League. Abraham believes it’s now time for everyone to turn the page.
“We believe in Judaism in repenting, and if this person is willing to do some repentance for things that may have taken place or misunderstandings and wants to move forward, we should all want to move forward together,” he said.
