Dr. Laura's Nazi Analogy Criticized by Holocaust Scholars 1/2/2004
From: David S. Wyman of the Institute for Holocaust Studies, 215-635-5622 or rafaelmedoff@aol.com PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 2 -- A leading Holocaust Studies institute is urging radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger to retract her comparison of U.S. day care centers to child-rearing practices in Nazi Germany. On her Jan. 2, 2004 show, Dr. Schlessinger read a letter from a listener who criticized the lack of one-on-one attention given to children in some day care centers, especially those calling themselves "Child Development Centers." Dr. Schlessinger commented that "it sounds like something out of Nazi Germany." The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, a research and education institute focusing on America's response to the Holocaust, is urging Dr. Schlessinger to retract her remark. Wyman Institute director Dr. Rafael Medoff said: "Whatever their flaws, Child Development Centers are not comparable to Nazi Germany, a brutal fascist dictatorship that slaughtered six million Jews. Such analogies trivialize the Holocaust and undermine efforts to educate the public about the real nature of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Dr. Laura often urges her listeners to 'Go do the right thing'; we urge her to go do the right thing -- retract her comparison of day care centers to Nazi Germany." ------ ABOUT THE WYMAN INSTITUTE: The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, located on the campus of Gratz College (near Philadelphia), is a research and education institute focusing on America's response to the Holocaust. It is named in honor of the eminent historian and author of the 1984 best-seller The Abandonment of the Jews, the most important and influential book concerning the U.S. response to the Nazi genocide. The Institute's Advisory Committee includes Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, Members of Congress, and other luminaries. The Institute's Academic Council includes 45 leading professors of the Holocaust, American history, and Jewish history. The Institute's Arts & Letters Council, chaired by Cynthia Ozick, includes prominent artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers. (A complete list is available upon request.) |