Tv Holocaust Film Under Attack

“Holocaust,” a 9 1/2 hour television dramatization to be aired by NBC in four parts beginning April 16, has come under fire from two groups for widely different reasons.

A group calling itself the Christian Defense League (CDL) has labeled the original drama, written by Gerald Green, “Zionist propaganda” aimed at instilling “a guilt complex in American gentiles for the so-called ‘poor persecuted Jews.'” In addition, several Midwest stations affiliated with NBC have demanded that certain scenes be deleted. The affiliates, which previewed the film, objected to one scene showing Jewish women being forced to disrobe before being led to the gas chambers and another in which elderly women are led to their death. NBC has agreed to delete these scenes.

The CDL issued a statement demanding that NBC drop the entire production. It said, “Over 300,000 gentiles died fighting for Jewish rights. The Americans sided with the Jews during World War II and certainly couldn’t be considered enemies of the Jewish people. Yet American gentiles are subjected to a constant barrage of movies from Hollywood which have as their main aim propaganda to instill a guilt complex in American gentiles…”

EXPLAINS BASIS FOR SEGMENT

Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum, director of the interreligious affairs department of the American Jewish Committee, who served as a consultant to NBC in the production of “Holocaust,” told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the affiliates objected to a five-second segment of the disrobing scene which shows frontal nudity with pubic hair visible. They felt this went far beyond the boundaries of good taste acceptable to television networks and their affiliates.

Tanenbaum said that, at a meeting of the network and affiliate officials, he explained that in the context of the Nazi intention to degrade and debase Jews by violating their traditional concept of modesty, the scene was authentic. However, he said, given the fact that many viewers would not be aware of this, he thought the NBC decision to omit the five seconds was appropriate. He expressed hope that the controversy over the disrobing scene, which has been reported by several newspaper columnists, would not be allowed to detract from the overall impact of “Holocaust.”

Regarding the CDL, Tanenbaum told the JTA that the group is headed by James K. Warner of Baton Rouge, La., who, the rabbi said, has a long record of anti-Semitic and racist activity and is an associate of David Duke of the Ku Klux Klan.

DEMANDS FILM BE SHOWN IN ITS ENTIRETY

Shifra Hoffman, a member of the board of directors of the Jewish Identity Center, responded to both attacks on the film in a statement demanding that “the forthcoming NBC production ‘Holocaust’ be carried by all affiliate stations in its entirety.”

Hoffman pointed out in her statement that although Hitler’s persecution of the Jews began in 1933, the U.S. did not declare war against Germany until 1941. “The thousands of soldiers who died, fought to protect the United States of America and all of its citizens from becoming victims of Hitler’s aggression and included in their ranks many Jews who paid the supreme sacrifice for this country and served with distinction just as Jewish soldiers have done since the days of Haym Solomon and the Revolutionary War.”

Hoffman said that American Nazis and others “seeking to preach genocide against Jews and other minorities” under the guise of free speech “undoubtedly…derive much aid and comfort when a television program whose purpose it to educate this generation against the vile atrocities is deleted and petitioned to be dropped by those who allegedly speak in the name of gentiles.”