Facebook removes 'Auschwitz Spa' page

Wiesenthal Center says page advertising death camp, where over 1.3 people were killed, is 'latest shocking example of the trivialization of the Nazi genocide'

Ynetnews |Published: 08.05.10 , 18:09

A Facebook page called “Auschwitz Spa”, which advertises the death camp where over 1.3 million people, including 1.1 million Jews were killed, as a health spa, was immediately taken down by the social-networking site following protests by the Wiesenthal Center.

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“This hate page, which demeans the memory of 6 million innocent victims of the Holocaust, is the latest shocking example of the growing trivialization of the Nazi genocide ranging from 'Holocaust Cartoon' contests endorsed by the government of Iran, to calls in Europe to eliminate International Holocaust Memorial Day, to Oliver Stone’s recent outrageous statements about “contextualizing” mass murderers like Hitler and Stalin,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center and creator of the Digital Terror and Hate Project, the Center’s decade-long monitoring of over 12,000 problematic websites, blogs, newsgroups and social networks.

“Facebook immediately removed Auschwitz Spa as soon as they were notified by the Simon Wiesenthal Center,” Cooper said, adding that "there has been a spike in the abuse of viral social networks by racists and anti-Semites over the last two years."

Some of the text on the page, written in French, includes:

“Come visit our new spa center at Auschwitz ♥”

“its river of Jewish blood”

“Saunas using gas”

“Its light food to help you track your diet (very) slimming”

“Its leaders armed with our best Mauser will keep you dancing merrily ...”

“For all this, come visit us! You see, you never go home from us!”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States.