The Children’s Holocaust Memorial at Whitwell Middle School has been celebrated in part for its unlikely location in a rural Tennessee town.
It generally attracts hundreds of visitors per year. But it has been closed for six months amid security concerns stemming from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and fears of antisemitic vandalism or violence in the U.S.
Some feel the closure sends the wrong message. But school officials cite safety concerns and say they are working to reopen the memorial as soon as they safely can.
In a phone interview, the middle school’s principal, Josh Holtcamp, said that shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, he spoke with the Marion County Director of Schools Mark Griffith. Holtcamp recalled Griffith telling him that — after consultation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office — the district decided the memorial would be shut down for at least 90 days.
A sign was placed informing visitors of the closure, stating that in the new year the Marion County School Board would re-evaluate the ongoing situation and re-open the museum when it felt students and visitors were safe.