A German hotel apologized for running an ad for a “long,
romantic Kristall-Nacht” to be held on the 75th anniversary of the Nazi pogrom
against Jews and their institutions.
The Kristall Sauna Wellnesspark in Bad Klosterlausnitz, in
the former eastern German state of Thuringen, pulled the ad for the November 9
event and issued an apology via Facebook, according to the Cologne-based online
newspaper Express.de.
Critics had posted images of the ad on social media sites
with comments such as “Thumbs up to your advertising department.”
In a statement issued Monday, the hotel owners apologized
for their “insensitive naming of this event,” which was “extremely
inappropriate.” They explained that they frequently tag part of their name,
“Kristall,” onto their events.
“We are extraordinarily regretful and of course this was
unintentional; believe us, we are quite ashamed about our mistake,” the
statement said.
They changed the name of the event to “the long romantic
night.”
According to Express, some who posted screen shots of the ad
made crude jokes about the wellness center being a “Heil Bad,” or spa with hot
springs, playing on the Nazi salute to Hitler.
This week, Germany is marking the 75th anniversary of the
pogrom in which rioters destroyed 267 synagogues in Germany, Austria and the
former Czechoslovakia.
According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website, at
least 91 Jews were killed during the November 1938 rioting and some 30,000
Jewish men were arrested and held in concentration camps in its aftermath.
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