A Catholic diocese in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has condemned Holocaust imagery that appeared on a Catholic school\u2019s Halloween parade float on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The St. Joseph Catholic School\u2019s float at a community Halloween parade included a replica of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp gate bearing the words \u201cArbeit Macht Frei.\u201d The German phrase translates to \u201cWork sets you free,\u201d according to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum website<\/a>.<\/p>\n The motto is one of the symbols of the camp, and was used to greet people arriving at other concentration camps in Germany, according to the website. The slogan above the Auschwitz Concentration Camp gate was made by prisoners, who deliberately reversed the letter B as \u201ca camouflaged mark of disobedience,\u201d the website says.<\/p>\n The school in Hanover, Pennsylvania, is part of the Diocese of Harrisburg, which called the imagery \u201ca notorious symbol of hate\u201d in a statement<\/a> Friday.<\/p>\n Bishop Timothy C. Senior, who said he was \u201cshocked and appalled\u201d by the incident, apologized to the Jewish community on behalf of the Catholic diocese.<\/p>\n The original approved design for the float did not contain that imagery, Senior said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe inclusion of this image\u2014one that represents the horrific suffering and murder of millions of innocent people, including six million Jews during the Holocaust\u2014is profoundly offensive and unacceptable,\u201d he said in the statement.<\/p>\n \u201cI strongly condemn the inclusion of this symbol on the float. As Catholics, we stand firmly against all forms of antisemitism, hatred, and prejudice, which are rampant in our society,\u201d Senior added. \u201cThe Church\u2019s relationship with the Jewish community is one of deep respect, friendship, and shared faith in the one true God.\u201d<\/p>\n CNN has reached out to the St. Joseph Catholic School for comment.<\/p>\n The incident comes amid a surge in recent reports of antisemitic acts. Days ago, a man was arrested<\/a> with body armor and a suitcase filled with ammunition after threatening multiple synagogues in Alabama and surrounding states, officials said. A month earlier, a late-night fire was set at a synagogue in Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n