Actor Liam Neeson portrays Oskar Schindler in “Schindler’s List.” (Amblin Entertainment)

(JTA) — A state-owned broadcaster in Belgium apologized for a video that parodies Steven Spielberg’s classic Holocaust movie “Schindler’s List” by dubbing alternative dialogue about an apparent cookie shortage over some of the film’s footage.

VRT, a public broadcaster which is owned and funded by the government of the Flemish Region of Belgium, on Monday said that it was removing the “inappropriate” April 7 video from its YouTube channel.

“Humor and satire should be allowed in out programming but it must never be the intention to hurt the feelings of others or laugh at their suffering,” a VRT statement read. “We recognize that this did happen here, we wish to express our heartfelt apologies.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Some Jewish and Christian groups and Michael Freilich, an Orthodox Jewish lawmaker serving in Belgium’s federal parliament, had criticized the segment, which aired as part of the popular evening show “The Ideal World.”

It aimed to satirize reports in Belgian media about how the war in Ukraine could be causing shortages in the supply of the popular Cent Wafer cookie brand.

One character portraying a Jewish concentration camp prisoner is dubbed to say: “Goddamn, that shit boy is gone with the last family pack of Cent Wafers” about a character being led to Nazi gas chambers.

Among the organizations that protested the video was the Consultative Body of Christians and Jews in Belgium, which deemed it in a statement “disrespectful and tasteless” and called on VRT to use public funds to “promote higher values.”

An Israeli primetime comedy show “Eretz Nehedert,” or “It’s a Wonderful Country,” also referenced “Schindler’s List” in a sketch from last month that used the Ukraine conflict to satirize Israeli high-tech executives.

This story originally appeared on JTA.org.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount