Artist Sorry After Auschwitz Gate Replica Appears on School Float
The gate that reads "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work sets you free") is seen Jan. 27, 2025, at the Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in Oswiecim, Poland. In an Oct. 31, 2025, statement, Bishop Timothy C. Senior of Harrisburg, Pa., apologized for Holocaust imagery that appeared on a float presented by St. Joseph Catholic School in Hanover at the town’s Halloween parade, which included a replica of the Auschwitz gate. (OSV News photo/Grzegorz Celejewski, Reuters)
A Catholic school in Pennsylvania is facing widespread criticism after a Halloween parade float featured a replica of the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” archway from Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp where millions were murdered during the Holocaust.
The float, created for St. Joseph’s School in Hanover, was designed by artist Galen Shelly, who has since apologized, saying the resemblance to the Auschwitz gate was an unintentional and deeply regrettable mistake.
Shelly told PennLive that a last-minute scramble for decorations led him to search online for cemetery gates after a pre-ordered archway failed to arrive. He said he unknowingly used the Auschwitz image as a reference, believing it fit the parade’s theme that “none of us get out of this life alive.”
“I had no ill intent,” Shelly said. “I made a mistake, and I am deeply sorry.”
Photos of the float, which appeared in the October 30 parade, quickly circulated online, prompting outrage and condemnation from community members and Jewish organizations.
The Diocese of Harrisburg said it had no prior knowledge of the Holocaust imagery, which was not part of the approved design. Bishop Timothy Senior issued an apology on behalf of the church, emphasizing that Catholics “stand firmly against all forms of antisemitism, hatred, and prejudice.”
“The inclusion of this image, one that represents the horrific suffering and murder of millions of innocent people, including six million Jews during the Holocaust, is profoundly offensive and unacceptable,” the bishop said in a statement.
Leaders at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, which operates the school, also apologized, acknowledging a “lack of vigilance” in failing to inspect the float before the event.
Following the backlash, the parish canceled youth activities over the weekend after an obscene and threatening voicemail was left for the school’s principal. Authorities later charged a man with making terroristic threats.
Bishop Senior said the diocese will use the incident as “an opportunity for education and reflection” and will review its approval process for future events to ensure such a mistake does not happen again.
The phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei” — German for “Work makes you free” — was cruelly displayed at the entrances to Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps, a slogan that mocked the victims who were led through the gates to face enslavement, torture, and extermination.
About Post Author
