A Catholic school’s Halloween float depicting Auschwitz sparks outrage; the Harrisburg Diocese apologizes, pledging Holocaust education and zero tolerance for antisemitism.
In a shocking display of historical insensitivity, St. Joseph Catholic School in Hanover, Pennsylvania, came under fire after a Halloween parade float featured a replica of the Auschwitz concentration camp gate, complete with the Nazi slogan “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work sets you free”) — a phrase etched into humanity’s darkest chapter.
The Diocese of Harrisburg swiftly condemned the act, calling it “profoundly offensive and unacceptable.” Bishop Timothy C. Senior, visibly outraged, issued a public apology to the global Jewish community, emphasizing that the float’s final design deviated from what had been approved.
“This image represents the horrific suffering and murder of millions of innocent people, including six million Jews,” Senior stated. “As Catholics, we reject all forms of antisemitism, hatred, and prejudice.”
The diocese has announced immediate reforms — including mandatory Holocaust education in partnership with the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — aiming to ensure students understand the weight of Jewish suffering and the dangers of historical distortion.
The scandal surfaces amid a disturbing nationwide surge in antisemitic attacks: recent weeks saw a threatened synagogue assault in Alabama and an arson attempt in Florida. Jewish advocacy groups warn that such incidents reflect an alarming normalization of hate, fueled by ignorance and indifference.
Israel’s diplomatic representatives in the U.S. lauded the diocese’s quick apology and educational outreach, noting it as “a vital gesture of conscience and moral clarity at a time of rampant antisemitism.”
As faith leaders unite in condemnation, the message resounds beyond Pennsylvania — remembrance is not optional, and silence is complicity.
