West Virginia intends to institute Holocaust-related training with the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in the aftermath of than 30 West Virginia corrections’ workers and cadets who were fired after a photo surfaced of them performing a Nazi salute.
Lawrence Messina, a spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, which includes the department of corrections, told HuffPost that a proposal surrounding the training is in the works. He did not detail the specifics of the course.
“He has kindly agreed to draft a proposal for the needed training and coursework, which will include education about the Holocaust,” said Messina of the ADL’s regional director, James Pasch, without calling him out by name.
Pasch leads the Cleveland ADL, which serves West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Western Pennsylvania. The branch tweeted on Dec. 6 that they have been in contact with the West Virginia Department of Corrections “to offer ADL’s educational training and resources.”
Gov. Jim Justice, who said earlier this month such behavior wouldn’t be tolerated, announced on Monday that following a review of a report on the matter by the state’s Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, he approved the department’s recommendations that those in the photo and staff who knew about it be terminated.
“As I said from the beginning, I condemn the photo of Basic Training Class 18 in the strongest possible terms,” said Justice in a statement.
The photo blurred the faces of the participants of the class, which took place from Oct. 21 to Nov. 27. Names of the employees are not identified.
A caption on the photo reads “Hail Byrd!” Messina told The Washington Post in early December that Byrd is a training instructor.
