Arab waiter at Yad Vashem: "Holocaust is a lie"

[Womble]

Bloody unbelievable

An Arab waiter working at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem told a group of German reporters who were visiting the museum, "don't believe what you see here. Everything they say about the six million murdered is a lie."

The story was published by Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Sunday.

The incident, which took place last May, was reported by a journalist at German newspaper Bayern Extra, who was a member of the group. A copy of the paper was recently sent to an Israeli friend of two of the journalists that participated in the mission. The Israeli, Elisheva Ramon, quickly reported it to the museum.

According to the article, members of the group who were shaken up by an exhibit at the museum's new wing went to the cafeteria in order to recompose.

Suddenly, an Arab waiter approached them and said: "Don't take this too hard. Everything they say about the six million is a lie. Everything documented here is false."

Ramon said that despite her complaint to Yad Vashem, not much was done to address the matter.

"I told them it wasn't right something like this could happen. I think it's terrible Holocaust denial can take place in an institution dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust. It's outrageous that such a person is employed there," she said.

[varian]

This IW is too young to have been in the Hitler youth, so he is most likely a graduate of a contemporary (Saudi financed) madrasah somewhere in the world (perhaps the East coast of the US). I'd be checking this one lunch bucket!!!

[Cato]

Lgeally his job is not protected by free speech.

Allow me to explain.

If you work for lets say Alexander, and you insult Alexander and call him neo-nazi fascist to his face, and call him a liar who owns a business that only lies.

Well in that case although free speech gives you the right to say it, it does NOT protect you from getting fired by Alexander for saying it.

The same aplies to this, he really should be fired immediatly.

He has the right to say it, and we have the right to fire him.

[Shohad]

Lgeally his job is not protected by free speech.

Allow me to explain.

If you work for lets say Alexander, and you insult Alexander and call him neo-nazi fascist to his face, and call him a liar who owns a business that only lies.

Well in that case although free speech gives you the right to say it, it does NOT protect you from getting fired by Alexander for saying it.

The same aplies to this, he really should be fired immediatly.

He has the right to say it, and we have the right to fire him.

I think holocaust denial is a crime here, if not it should be. Simply firing him is not enough. If proven guilty he should be jailed or exiled (something we unfortunately don't practice).

[ygalg1]

From news article:

An Arab waiter working at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem told a group of German reporters who were visiting the museum, "don't believe what you see here. Everything they say about the six million murdered is a lie."

the irony
the last think they need its another stain in their history records

[Womble]

I think holocaust denial is a crime here, if not it should be.

It IS a crime here.

[Toga]

Israel is full of the Arab enemies! He is just one of them.

[Cato]

Toga not all Arabs are the enemy, but I agree he is an enemy.

Womble would you mind getting me the law (In Hebrew), because I am familiar with the Arab Community and hear Holocaust Denial from Arabs I know regularly.

Shohad

If he goes to jail for saying something offensive just when does it end?

Israel needs to protect it's free speech, especially since if he does go to jail it would be very well publicized.

Firing him from his job, and having the government blacklist him so he can't get a job in the government sector is a good and perfectly legal punishment.

I have an untried suggestion as well, lets create a Holocaust Deniers webpage for Israel that will be exactly the same as Americans web sites listing Sex Offenders, that way everyone will know he is a denier and he will find it hard to get a job.

[Shohad]

It IS a crime here.

I knew so, cato kind of made me hesitate about it.

Cato:
I find it impossible to even imagine an Israel where holocaust denial is protected by law! I am sorry, we don’t have to go by others rules (not to mention holocaust denial is a crime in most European countries too). I appreciate the value of free speech but when it overlaps the values of respecting the dead and the truth I would restrict it. Maybe my wider perception of the issue is debatable but holocaust denial should be a crime even if as an exception!

[Womble]

Womble would you mind getting me the law (In Hebrew), because I am familiar with the Arab Community and hear Holocaust Denial from Arabs I know regularly.

English text of the law

1. In this Law, "crime against the Jewish people" and "crime against humanity" have the same respective meanings as in the "Nazis and Nazi Collaborators Law, 5710-1950[1].

Prohibition of Denial of Holocaust
2. A person who, [b]in writing or by word of mouth[b], publishes any statement denying or diminishing the proportions of acts committed in the period of the Nazi regime, which are crimes against the Jewish people or crimes against humanity, with intent to defend the perpetrators of those acts or to express sympathy or identification with them, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of five years.

Prohibition of publication of expression for sympathy for Nazi crimes
3. A person who, in writing or by word of mouth, publishes any statement expressing praise or sympathy for or identification with acts done in the period of the Nazi regime, which are crimes against the Jewish people or crimes against humanity, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of five years.

Permitted publication
4. The publication of a correct and fair report of a publication prohibited by this Law shall not be regarded as an offence thereunder so long as it is not made with intent to express sympathy or identification with the perpetrators of crimes against the Jewish people or against humanity.

Filing of charge
5. An indictment for offences under this Law shall only be filed by or with the consent of the Attorney-General.

I can't see it online in Hebrew, but on the bottom of this web page there's enough information of how to find it in print. If you're Israeli, Sefer Ha-Chukkim should be easily avaliable to you in the city library or in the library of any university.

[Cato]

Thanks Womble, I am not a lawyer, and so hearing Holocaust Denial Regularly during visits to Arab Communities made me assume it was legal.

The pathetic enforcement though makes it so it might as well be legal.

Now that I know the law though that waiter should go to jail.

[Toga]

Toga not all Arabs are the enemy, but I agree he is an enemy.

Womble would you mind getting me the law (In Hebrew), because I am familiar with the Arab Community and hear Holocaust Denial from Arabs I know regularly.

Shohad

If he goes to jail for saying something offensive just when does it end?

Israel needs to protect it's free speech, especially since if he does go to jail it would be very well publicized.

Firing him from his job, and having the government blacklist him so he can't get a job in the government sector is a good and perfectly legal punishment.

I have an untried suggestion as well, lets create a Holocaust Deniers webpage for Israel that will be exactly the same as Americans web sites listing Sex Offenders, that way everyone will know he is a denier and he will find it hard to get a job.

Cato, how many Arabs of Israel are not enemies? Take a look at those who they pick to represent them in the Knesset. They advocate the destruction of Israel from the podium of the Israeli Knesset.