fbpx

ADL slams Democrats invoking Holocaust analogies

The Anti-Defamation League decried three recent reported Nazi analogies used in political debate, all by Democrats.
[additional-authors]
September 6, 2012

The Anti-Defamation League decried three recent reported Nazi analogies used in political debate, all by Democrats.

“Earlier today, South Carolina State Democratic Chairman Dick Harpootlian reportedly evoked Eva Braun when discussing Gov. Nikki Haley's press briefing from a basement studio at the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” the ADL said in a statement Wednesday.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is in Charlotte, N.C., where the Democrats are having their party convention. The Republican Party has set up an opposition publicity operation in the Hall of Fame. 

Harpootlian reportedly said, “She was down in the bunker a la Eva Braun.”

“This analogy to Eva Braun only serves to trivialize the Holocaust and is deeply offensive to Jews and other survivors, as well as those Americans who fought valiantly against the Nazis in World War II,” the ADL said in its statement.

The ADL noted that this week, the chairman of California Democrats compared Republicans to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda chief, and a top Kansas Democrat reportedly did so as well.

“Politicians and their supporters and surrogates should stop invoking Hitler and trivializing the memory of the six million and millions of others who perished in the Holocaust,” the ADL said.

The ADL in the past also has singled out Republicans for using Holocaust and Nazi analogies. Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) repeatedly has likened Democrats to Goebbels, inviting ADL outrage on at least three occasions.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

A Night of Gratitude Honoring Dennis Prager

Latest Articles

Rosner’s Domain: Weeks of Known Unknowns

So here we are, stuck with just a few bad options to consider. And that’s just the political superposition of undetermined future – alongside it there’s also the possible – probable? – war with Iran.

After the Last Out, Collect a Different Kind of Card

At a time when Jewish education is competing for attention in a world dominated by screens, sports, short-form videos and endless streams of content, these easily collectable cards offer a different kind of engagement.

6 Jewish Takeaways from the Midterm Elections

There is little chance that the combination of a weakened Trump and an emboldened Democratic Congress produces similar levels of support for aggressive action against Iran and its proxies, and other policies that a wide spectrum of Israelis see as crucial to their security.

Israel Drives Them Crazy

In the diaspora and in Israel, we cannot turn back the clock and undo the harm that was done to us. But we can shape our own future. Israel is strong and resolute. So must we be.

Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah

The Torah offers a comforting view of a life beyond this life. We aren’t told what it will be exactly — yes, it’s abstract and vague — but we are told it’s waiting for us as it was for Abraham.

Hatred Opened the Door. A Missed Victory Held It Open.

For me, the disaster isn’t that Democrats won or Republicans lost. It’s that politicians who demonize Israel, deny Jewish self-determination and explain away antisemitism are finding an increasingly receptive electorate in the world’s most important democracy.

The Jewish Dilemma

The central issue is not whether Jewish voters should support Democrats or Republicans. It is whether either party can demonstrate that Jewish security, Jewish identity and Jewish self-determination are compatible with its broader political agenda.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.