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The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemns past anti-Semitic jokes as well as reported bullying of disabled individuals, made by Japanese comedian Kentaro Kobayashi, who is the show director of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.
According to Japanese media reports, Kobayashi utilized the mass murder of six million Jews by the Nazis in a script for his comedy act in 1998. In his act, he made malicious and anti-Semitic jokes including “Let’s play Holocaust.” Kobayashi is reported to have made distasteful jokes about disabled individuals.
“Any person, no matter how creative, does not have the right to mock the victims of the Nazi genocide. The Nazi regime also gassed Germans with disabilities. Any association of this person to the Tokyo Olympics would insult the memory of six million Jews and make a cruel mockery of the Paralympics,” stated SWC Associate Dean and Global Social Action Director, Rabbi Abraham Cooper.
For further information, please email Michele Alkin, Director of Global Communications at malkin@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization numbering over 400.000 members. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO)