L.A. Shop Displays Holocaust Mannequin
Image by Racked
Image by Racked
Spotted: A mannequin dressed as a Holocaust victim on display at L.A. Jock in West Hollywood, California. Oy.
But there’s more to the striped uniform and yellow star than meets the eye.
The display is meant as a symbol of protest ahead of a rally tomorrow against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay policies, according to Racked.com.
“Putin’s Russia is Hitler’s Germany,” the store manager told Racked.
Nir Zilberman, the store’s Israeli owner who decided to put up the mannequin, is reportedly the descendant of survivors; his great grandparents were killed in the Holocaust.
“This isn’t supposed to be offensive, this is part of our history, and it sends a very clear message to stop the hate,” Zilberman was quoted saying.
The Russian government has been the target of harsh criticism in recent years for its anti-gay policies, with some arguing that the Sochi Olympics, held this month in Russia, should be boycotted. Hate crimes directed against gays have surged in recent years.
Some, however, found the mannequin display offensive, Racked reported.
“[It’s] more shocking and in poor taste” a reader told racked. “I’m just puzzled why a visual merchandiser would go that route.”
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
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’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
