Leaders object to sales of Nazi memorabilia
An auctioneer specialising in military memorabilia has been criticised by Jewish organisations ahead of a sale of Nazi artefacts.
But James Blewitt of JB Military Antiques based in Morley in Western Australia told The Australian: “We don’t sell anything that deals directly with concentration camps and the Holocaust. I draw the line at those sorts of pieces. But I see the SS items as historical items just like Soviet Russia and Maoist China items.”
J-Wire sought a statement from the Jewish Community Council of Western Australia but has yet to receive a reply.
Peter Wertheim, co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said: “The display, promotion and sale of Nazi and Holocaust memorabilia, although not illegal per se, desensitises people to the grisly realities of the Nazi regime by reducing racism, irrational hatred, and mass murder to the banality of a commercial transaction. This is a slap in the face to Australian ex-service people who sacrificed so much to rid the world of this evil.
Nazi memorabilia have often been used to promote or glorify racism, bigotry, hatred and even violence. Many businesses will not engage in this disreputable trade, understanding how this use impacts on the sense of safety and security of all Australians, including those who are members of groups and communities which have historically been the targets of Nazi policies of genocide, mass murder and other forms of persecution, such as Jews, Roma people and LGBTIQ people.
We would prefer to see all commercial operators voluntarily stop this trade rather than being compelled to do so. These items belong in museums, not on people’s mantle pieces.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Darren Bark told J“We are horrified by the contents of this disturbing auction. Among other items, a shooting award bestowed by the Nazi Party should never be offered for sale to everyday Australians. This is sickening and beyond the pale.
“People should not be profiting from artefacts that caused mass death and destruction during humanity’s darkest days. They belong in a museum as a constant reminder of the pain and suffering innocent people endured at the hands of the Nazis and the bravery of our Diggers who fought to defeat them.”
