'Hitler' clothing store angers Jews in India

Store owner claims ignorance; nearby Friends of Israel chapter denounces "celebration" of former Nazi leader.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Adolf Hitler 311 R (photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer .)
Adolf Hitler 311 R
(photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer .)
A clothing outlet named "Hitler" located in Ahmedabad, India has upset the local Jewish population, according to a report Monday by The Times of India.
According to the Times, Hitler was the nickname given to the grandfather of shop owner Rajeh Shah's business partner due to his strict nature.
In response to opposition to the store name, Shah, who claimed that it was "only recently that we read about Hitler on the internet," offered to remove his store's banner, but only if he is compensated for the costs thus far incurred.
A member of the local Jewish community, who visited the shop on Sunday, rejected Shah's claim of innocence, alleging to the Times that "The proprietors knew what the name meant and what Hitler stood for. They had researched well, right from the dress the dictator wore to his cufflinks."
She also claimed that the community had suggested a separate name, but that the proprietors said that the name "Hitler" had brought in good business since the store's opening a week ago.
Nikitin Contractor, of the Friends of Israel chapter of nearby Vadodara, likewise denounced the store's owner, asserting to the Times: "In the city of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violence, how can anyone celebrate a person like Hitler who is known to have murdered millions of unarmed ordinary civilians? We as a community had represented our concerns to the proprietors and we do not think they agree with us."