February 22, 2016
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has called on public figures and commentators to refrain from using the word Nazi outside its Holocaust context. This is in response to several incidents, most recently the use by Professor Katie Allen of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, who in a discussion of food allergies stated that banning certain food in schools, “creates a false sense of security, and you can end up with lunch box Nazis.”
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“I acknowledge that people use the term Nazi in a jocular sense to describe a person who is strict and uncompromising, a control freak who obsessively wants to control an activity or behaviour. However, using the word Nazi in this sense debases, trivialises and diminishes the genocidal actions of Hitler’s regime responsible for the senseless murder of millions. It dilutes and cheapens the historical meaning of the Holocaust and aids in the cultural process that dangerously and lessens the horrific crimes of the Nazis desensitizes the public. After all, if teachers inspecting food at school can be labelled Nazis, how can we expect future generations to know and learn about the terrible deeds of the real Nazis? When employing the term Nazis, commentators should do so in the appropriate historical context and with great sensitivity and understanding. The term Nazi should be synonymous with the horror and cruelty of the Third Reich, not school teachers or administrators.”
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and racism.
Join the ADC on Facebook
or visit our website at antidef.org.au