The following message was sent to the Sidwell Friends community on January 27, 2023.

Today, on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we hold in the Light the victims of the Holocaust, an unspeakable event that resulted in the systematic murder of more than 6 million Jews and millions of other people. Our remembrance bears witness to the horror of genocide, inspires vigilance against future atrocities, and condemns the history and malevolent persistence of antisemitism.

As we observe this solemn occasion, a demonstrable and disturbing increase in antisemitic activity and hate crimes has unfolded in the United States and other nations. In denouncing these heinous acts, we are called to guard against what Hannah Arendt called “the banality of evil,” and embrace with love and purpose every opportunity to stem hatred. In the words of Edward Burrough, Friends stand “for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom, that these may be exalted in our nation, and that goodness, righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity . . . with one another may abound.”

How might we create a world abundant with peace and love?

 What tangible actions might we take to eradicate this pernicious prejudice and deepen understanding within and across religions and all the differences we allow to divide us?

In peace,

Bryan Garman 
Head of School