Reply to Jewish parents -- how and at what age did your kids learn about the Holocaust?

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[quote=Anonymous]My daughter is in 2nd grade. She's seen the Sound of Music, she knows the Nazis were "the ultimate bad guys" (my words) and that Hitler was their leader, she knows WWII was fought to keep the world safe from their evil ways -- but she doesn't know the rest of the story. We're Jewish and I can't wrap my brain around how to explain, at the very least, that Nazis hate Jews -- never mind what actually happened with the camps and all.

I'm thinking about this now for a few reasons: one, my brother and his family were visiting a few weeks ago and we went to Udvar-Hazy, where they have Nazi planes on display, and my nephew (also in 2nd grade) started telling my daughter what he knows about Nazis -- which is considerably more since his great-grandmother (my SIL's grandmother) was an Auschwitz survivor. Two, by this time in my own life I had already visited Dachau (because apparently that's a good family outing when you're spending the summer in Austria?). And three, it seems like it won't be that long before she learns about/is confronted with antisemitism given how emboldened neo-Nazis are these days.

I can't remember a time when I didn't know about the Holocaust and antisemitism. My Hebrew School teacher when I was in 2nd grade was a survivor. We read I Never Saw Another Butterfly. I also vividly remember dreams of being chased through the woods by Nazis. So maybe I learned about it too young? I dread my daughter "finding out" about this chapter in history and her inevitable questions ("the kids too?") but I also feel like I want her to learn about it from me, at least initially -- unlike 9/11, which she first heard about in school. Ugh. Of course teachable moments are best, rather than an out-of-the-blue discussion, but all suggestions welcome. Thanks.[/quote]

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