Dov Hikind Launches Campaign Against ‘Nazi Neighbors’
Image by Facebook/Dov Hikind
Image by Facebook/Dov Hikind
A new campaign launched by New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind calls for Nazi war criminals living in the United States to be brought to justice. “Would you be a Nazi’s neighbor?”, the ad asks.
The Brooklyn assemblyman, a son of survivors, said that he is committed to pursuing Nazis living in the United States. The provocative posters are part of Hikind’s #NoNazisInUS campaign. His site alleges that some Nazis have already been identified by the U.S. Justice Department.
It’s time to deport Nazi war criminals living illegally in the U.S. YOU can help http://t.co/goJchIC07Z #NoNazisInUS
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) March 4, 2014
The posters are set to begin appearing at bus stops and newspapers this week.
“Several Nazis suspected of taking part in wartime atrocities are currently living freely in the United States,” the ad reads. “With a united voice, we can remove this evil from our midst and gain a small measure of justice for the millions of victims of the Third Reich.”
The campaign names Jakiw Palij, reportedly a Nazi camp guard who now lives in Queens. Hikind, joined by a number of Holocaust survivors and hundreds of yashiva students, protested last year at the home, according to Hikind’s website.
“Palij has had it pretty good in Queens,” the website quotes Hikind saying. “That’s an insult to decency. It is an affront to justice. Worst of all, it is a vile slur to the innocent souls of the men, women and children murdered by Nazis,” he said.
But not everyone thinks Hikind’s campaign is so tasteful. A blog post in Heeb Magazine notes that the hunt for Nazis has little to do with Hikind’s real job in Albany. In a seemingly sarcastic jab, the blogger writes, “Still, Hikind might be on to something here; For those of you planning an upcoming move, it’s important to ask your realtor if your new neighborhood is zoned “Nazi-free.”
The posters feature a photo allegedly showing Nazis moving Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to a collection point to be sent to the Treblinka Extermination Camp. Another set of ads show a picture of crematoria. Both pictures ask, “Would you be a Nazi’s neighbor?
It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.
This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions.
We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.
As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday!
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
