BOARDMAN — An episode that occurred at a Boardman High School pep rally has led to an effort to further educate youth about Jewish faith and history, including the Holocaust.

A game played at a high school pep rally, and community concerns voiced afterward, prompted school district officials to seek additional curriculum on these subjects.

Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, Youngstown Area Jewish Federation director of community relations and government affairs, said since the Jan. 24 pep rally, other school districts have inquired about offering information about the Holocaust.

“Schools are starting to understand these important issues,” she said, noting that some districts may not include much history regarding the Holocaust.

The Holocaust refers to the state-sponsored prosecution and mass murder of some 6 million Jews, and millions of others, by the German Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945.

The Boardman High School episode that struck up the local conversation was when students played a version of the popular card game Cards Against Humanity during the pep rally. Cards Against Humanity’s website states that it is “a party game for horrible people. Unlike most of the party games you’ve played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends. The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a black card, and everyone else answers with their funniest white card.”

At the pep rally, the answer “The Holocaust” was played by senior students.

Schools Superintendent Tim Saxton said that the episode has inspired the district to “make things better.”

“Everything for us is a learning experience,” he said. Using the foundation already set by a working relationship with Burdman, Saxton said that additional opportunities are being integrated into the classrooms.

Saxton said that together, the school district is working with Burdman to see “what else we can do to make” the learning process more personal.

Burdman said: “This is an incredible opportunity” to learn about an aging generation that “is leaving us. Boardman is taking the appropriate steps” to ensure students learn about the historical event.

Burdman said that after discussing the situation with officials from Boardman Local Schools, it did not seem that students were trying to be offensive.

Instead, she said this is a lesson to learn about “unintended consequences.”

While the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation already works with the district to teach about the Holocaust, Burdman said that additional programming will be implemented through the high school.

“I applaud Boardman for taking the initiative and working with us on putting all this together,” she said.

On Wednesday, a meeting with Boardman administration was held, which Burdman said “was really productive.”

Basic Holocaust educational programs will be incorporated through the high school, including exhibits and 15-minute documentaries the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation has produced, all on local Holocaust survivors. Those documentaries will be broadcast through the school’s closed-circuit television system.

A “Lunch and Learn” series focusing on the Holocaust will be offered, as well, Burdman said, which will allow for students to take their lunch to a quiet area and participate in the program.

Looking at the long-term goals, Burdman said that the school district will be connected with national organizations to continue building on the foundation it already has in place.

afox@tribtoday.com