Fans of the series, Roma and Jews, are urging Netflix to take responsibility for turning the Nazi prison into a foreign hotel.
In the last few weeks Jews and Rome people shouted at Netflix for seemingly pushing for Holocaust forgiveness Foreign things brand, encouraging fans to make “room tattoos” and turning the Nazi prison into a themed hotel.
The latest in a series of popular Netflix series Foreign things receives criticism for filming in a Lithuanian prison where Jews held Jews and Roma prisoners of war. Worse, the prison is turned into a Foreign things– Themed hotel from the beginning of this month.
The main storyline in the latest series Foreign things, former Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper is being held in a Russian internment camp. At the camp, Hopper is ruthlessly beaten and tortured for information about secret experiments that ended in Hawkins labs.
In fact, these sequences were not filmed in Russia, but were filmed in Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius, Lithuania. The prison operated for more than a century until 2019. was closed and became its main place Foreign things 4.
The prison also has a dark history. It was notorious for its use by the Nazis during World War II. The prison is one of the places associated with the horrific massacre of Ponario, during which 1941 100,000 Jews, Roma and political prisoners were killed.
Many Jews and Roma have since called on Netflix to apologize. A change.org petition with nearly 20,000 signatures, asks Netflix to apologize and take responsibility for how the use of the prison in this way contributes to the eradication of the Holocaust.
Even worse, Netflix has partnered with Airbnb to set up a hotel in Lukiškės fully inclusive Foreign things experience. From June 4 this year. Visitors to Lukiškės can spend the night in thematic cameras and inspect Foreign things– Thematic building and production of waffles. Because spending the night imitating the experiences of prisoners of war is apparently fun.
As a petition from Jews and Roma against bigotry “It not only mocks the common trauma of the Jewish-Roma community, but also continues to defile the living memories of Holocaust survivors (many alive today) and their descendants.”
It’s not the first time Foreign things and Netflix have been criticized for seemingly unintentionally encouraging anti-Jewish sentiment. The Foreign things official Instagram page was also shot to encourage fans to make digital tattoos like Eleven on their hands.
Prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Nazi occupation were marked with numbers on their hands as a means of dehumanization. As one Twitter user wrote her a viral thread explaining how to make a tattoo like eleven is a disrespect to Auschwitz survivors, “… they no longer had a name because they were not considered significant enough to have it. instead, they were called only numbers. ” The threads continued, “Obviously, tattoos make sense in the context of a show, but they shouldn’t be done in real life.”
Anti-Semitism is on the rise
Anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world. In 2021reports of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. have been highest since the Anti-Defamation League began recording reports in 1979. Anti-Semitic Moods in Australia also increased during the pandemic, especially in Victoria. The emergence of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories such as QAnon pushed was also directly link synagogue attacks.
It can be easy to shrug like Foreign things how a brand inadvertently promotes Holocaust rejection. It can even be argued that the prison that once held those whom the Nazis called annihilation has been turned into a place where people can enjoy the TV shows they enjoy is a good thing.
However, there is a reason why the cry of International Holocaust Remembrance Day is “Never forget.” The atrocities experienced by Jews, Roma and other nations during the Holocaust should be remembered with respect for such horror that it will not happen again. We should remember such sites as Lukiškės Prison, and not rename them to fan-themed holiday destinations, no matter how beloved the TV show.
Petition to Hold Netflix and Foreign things Responsible their alleged unintentional release during the Holocaust can be reviewed here. Foreign things is only available on Netflix.
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