Jewish community leader hits out at the online trade of Nazi memorabilia in Australia saying sellers are profiting off 'Satan's instruments'
- Jewish community leader has hit out at sale of Nazi memorabilia on social media
- Dr Dvir Abramovich is a leading campaigner against continued sale of Nazi items
- He told Daily Mail Australia it creates dangerous precedent to have items on sale
A Jewish community leader has slammed the sale of Nazi memorabilia on social media saying people are profiting from 'blood stained items'.
Dozens of items from Nazi Germany are being sold online across Australia, and Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said the ''ideology and culture that fuelled the extermination of millions still remains'.
Dr Abramovich is a leading campaigner in the fight against the rise of Neo-Nazism and said the internet had emboldened them to spread their messages and symbols of hate more freely.
As a result he feels the people who run pages and sites which supply Nazi memorabilia have a duty to prevent the circulation of 'blood-soaked items'.
A Jewish community leader has slammed the sale of Nazi memorabilia on social media saying people are profiting from 'blood stained items'
'The administrators of these pages will not get a free pass on this issue, and cannot defend the indefensible,' he said.
'If you want to stare pure evil in the face, and see Satan's instruments responsible for the systematic liquidation of millions, look no further than the blood-soaked objects showcased here.'
The sale of Nazi memorabilia has become common place online with some items being sold on Facebook's marketplace and closed groups at alarming rates.
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'The indecent and lucrative trade in Nazi merchandise, which is booming here and around the world, should alarm us all,' Dr Abramovich said.
'The dark fetish for these perverse items that could have been used in the murder and torture of Jews and others is beyond sickening.'
Owner of the privately run Woods Militaria Facebook page for collectors and sellers, Jonathan Woodward told 7 News he canvased all his buyers before confirming a sale and had no sympathy for the Nazi ideology.
'I check the profiles of all buyers and sellers, if both sides are not represented then the bad will repeat itself,' he told the publication.
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia that 'the ideology and culture that fuelled the extermination of millions still remains'
'Private sellers keep a lot of people informed and I will only sell to people interested in history.'
Esk Military Antiques proprietor Bill Brown also said he is stringent with who he sells the controversial items to but said it was also important not to take the practice underground.
'It's history and it has to be told so it can't be repeated, if we just ignore it, it has a good chance of happening again,' he said.
However Dr Abramovich said he doubts real collectors re buying the items only for historical value.
'I would not be surprised if these obscene objects end up in the hands of Hitler worshippers who will proudly hang it in their lounge, or put them up on their mantelpiece to show their friends,' he said.
Dr Abramaovich also stated the sale of such items was not only an affront to Jewish people but to all those who died at the hands of Nazis or died fighting against them.
'The pages offering this paraphernalia are not only an affront to those who perished in the Holocaust and the survivors living amongst us, but are a kick in the stomach to the memory of the Australian soldiers who gave their lives to defeat the Third Reich,' he said.
'The administrators of these pages will not get a free pass on this issue, and cannot defend the indefensible,' Dr Abramovich said
'In fact, can't imagine the anguish Holocaust survivors and our brave diggers would be feeling right now.'
The rise in white supremacists has also caused concern for Dr Abramovich with the sale of Nazi memorabilia possibly emboldening them more.
'Those trafficking in these cursed objects must understand that through their actions they are keeping alive the embers of perversion, and these acts may indicate active approval and celebration of the Nazis' deeds,' he said.
