Pink defends her kids' behavior at Berlin Holocaust museum
Pink is being criticized for posting a photo of her children running through the Holocaust Museum in Berlin on Instagram, though most commenters were sympathetic to her. Credit: Getty Images/Mike Ehrmann
Pop star Pink, who is currently on the European leg of her Beautiful Trauma world tour, has waded into the debate over behavioral etiquette at Holocaust historical sites and museums after being criticized for posting a photo of her children running through a Holocaust museum in Berlin.
"Berlin, I love you," the "Raise Your Glass" singer, 39, wrote on Instagram Sunday, captioning a photo of daughter Willow, 8, and son Jameson, 2, her children with her motocross-racer husband Carey Hart, as they run through a narrow outdoor pathway between large, somber stelae at what is formally The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
Anticipating the parenting criticism that has often followed her posting images of her children, Pink (born Alecia Beth Moore) went on to declare preemptively, "and for all of the comments; these two children are in actuality Jewish, as am I and the entirety of my mothers family. The very person who constructed this [American architect Peter Eisenman] believed in children being children, and to me this is a celebration of life after death. Please keep your hatred and judgment to yourselves."
The vast majority of commenters were sympathetic to the Grammy Award winner, including actress Selma Blair, who wrote, "I love Berlin too. I love that what happened is not being forgotten. I love this celebration of life. I love you."
"The first time I walked there, I wept," wrote another. "As the floor descended and the walls grew taller, I was overwhelmed with fear and sadness. It's powerful. Emotional. Then you hear children laughing and you're reminded there is life and love." Said yet another, " … don't imagine for one second that the people who died in that massacre wouldn't want the sound of children's laughter to surround the space outside because it is SO HEAVY inside. rightly so."
One critic noted, "A memorial for dead people is not the place to have fun. Maybe leave the kids behind next time." Another chastised, "It dosent [sic] matter if your kids are jewish or not Pink. You dont … run in a jewish memorial grounds. … Do your kids run in Arlington cemetery as well. I thought not. … I respect your family, so pls respect a cemetery."
Some who visit such museums or the sites of former concentration camps have posted images of themselves juggling, doing yoga and engaging in other acts often considered disrespectful for such locales.
