Animal Suffering Mirrors Holocaust
18 March 2004
by Anai Rhoads
"In relation to [animals], all people are Nazis." - Yiddish writer and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer.
AnaiRhoads.org - Despite broad criticism among the Jewish community, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has decided to plow forward with their controversial campaign.
Comparing today's horrors against animals, with atrocities of World War II, PETA connected the two by displaying startling images of both side-by-side. The eight 60 square foot panels intertwine the two with visuals - one side shows the Jews in concentration camps and the other side has rows of caged animals. The images clearly mimic the other with great intensity and detail. However, not all who have had the opportunity to preview the advertisements agree with PETA.
The Central Council of Jews president, Paul Spiegel, was quoted in Germany's Berliner Zeitung newspaper stating that the PETA campaign is a "violation of human dignity, especially of the Holocaust victims." The Jewish Council plans to press charges if the campaign is made public.
PETA's campaign coordinator Matt Prescott, who happens to be Jewish himself, defends the advertising campaign and says the organisation has no plans to put it aside. PETA believes this campaign will be viewed as an example of abuse and torture against animals before their slaughter.
"As the dominant species, we have the power to bully and destroy on the one hand and, on the other hand, the golden opportunity to oppose all atrocities against those who are powerless," said Prescott, who lost nearly half of his family in the Holocaust. "Each of us, when we sit down to eat, can say 'no' to the mindset of prejudice and superiority by embracing a vegetarian diet."
"Holocaust on a Plate" will launch in Stuttgart, Germany Thursday at the Schlossplatz. Other cities scheduled are as follows:
- 19 March Zurich, Switzerland
- 22 March Milan, Italy
- 24 March Zagreb, Croatia
- 26 March Vienna, Austria
- 29 March Bratislava, Slovakia
- 30 March Prague, Czech Republic
- 02 April Warsaw, Poland
- 05 April Stockholm, Sweden
- 06 April Copenhagen, Denmark
- 08 April Amsterdam, Netherlands
Germany has strict laws against demeaning Jews. The fine is determined by a hearing and in some cases persons found guilty are subjected to a five-year imprisonment. These penalties are enforced if one has denied the Holocaust as well.
Copyright ©2004 Anai Rhoads. All Rights Reserved.
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