Holocaust survivor groups protest YouTube Hitler parody

Demand video sharing website to remove clip due to the sensitivities of elderly Holocaust victims.

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
hitler youtube parking 248 (photo credit: )
hitler youtube parking 248
(photo credit: )
The umbrella organization representing Holocaust survivors in Israel asked YouTube on Tuesday to take down a spoof that shows Hitler throwing a tirade over Tel Aviv's lack of parking, saying the clip was grossly insensitive to the feelings of elderly Holocaust survivors. The controversial four-minute video, which was apparently posted by two Israelis, shows a Hitler enraged over the paucity of parking spots in Tel Aviv after receiving a ticket for illegal parking. "They [the city's municipal inspectors] are worse than the SS," the German-language video with Hebrew subtitles depicts a hysterical Hitler screaming. "NIS 250! They have no humanity!" he roars. Hitler is then shown saying that Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai is "worse than Stalin." The video ends with the Nazi dictator concluding that parking can only be found in the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva. "This offensive video hurts the sensitivities of Holocaust survivors," said Noah Flug, chairman of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors, in an e-mail sent on Tuesday to YouTube officials in the US. "The usage of Holocaust symbols even as jokes are liable to hurt the feelings of survivors, and it is high time to put an end to such humor," he said. About 250,000 elderly Holocaust survivors live in Israel.