German Hotel Pulls Ad for ‘Romantic’ Kristallnacht on Anniversary of Nazi Pogrom
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
A German hotel apologized after running an ad for a “long, romantic Kristall-Nacht,” to be held on the anniversary of the Nazi pogrom against Jews and their institutions.
Nov. 9 marks the 75th anniversary of the Nazi pogrom against Jews and their institutions, referred to in Germany as the Reichskristallnacht, or November Pogrom.
After astonished critics posted images of the tasteless ad on social media sites with such comments as “Thumbs up to your advertising department,” the Kristall Sauna Wellnesspark in Bad Klosterlausnitz, in the former eastern German state of Thuringen, pulled the ad and issued an apology via Facebook, according to the Cologne-based online newspaper Express.de.
In a statement issued Monday, the hotel owners apologized for their “insensitive naming of this event,” which was “extremely inappropriate.” They explained that they frequently tag part of their name, “Kristall,” onto their events.
“We are extraordinarily regretful and of course this was unintentional; believe us, we are quite ashamed about our mistake,” the statement said.
They changed the name of the special event to “the long romantic night.”
According to Express, some who posted screenshots of the ad made crude jokes about the wellness center being a “Heil Bad,” or spa with hot springs, playing on the Nazi Heil Hitler salute.
This week, Germany is marking the 75th anniversary of the pogrom in which rioters destroyed 267 synagogues in Germany, Austria and the former Czechoslovakia.
According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website, at least 91 Jews were killed during the riots and some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and held in concentration camps in its aftermath.
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