Schwarzenegger gets Jewish group's aid
Simon Wiesenthal Center alerts former California governor that his name accompanies photo of Hitler at Istanbul mall
After discovering that his name accompanied a photo of Adolf Hitler at the Sapphire Mall in Istanbul, Schwarzenegger – an avid supporter of Jewish rights and freedom – was willing to do anything possible to ensure it was removed.
The Turkish poster asked shoppers, “Who would you like to meet?”, listing a collection of famous names ranging from Turkish independence hero Ataturk and Soviet revolutionary Lenin to Michael Jackson and the Beatles. Below the long list of names, including Schwarzenegger’s, was a large image of Hitler.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center alerted Schwarzenegger that his name was being included on the list.
“Thank you for alerting me about the offensive exhibit at the Sapphire Mall in Istanbul, Turkey,” Governor Schwarzenegger wrote in an email to Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center.
Schwarzenegger went on to ask Hier if he would be willing to contact the shopping mall about having his name deleted from the poster.
"As someone who despises everything that Hitler stood for, it is repugnant to me to have my name in any way associated with history's greatest criminal, responsible for the murder of more than six million Jews, along with millions of other victims," "The Terminator" actor said.
Schwarzenegger has previously supported a number of Jewish causes, including participating in a rally asking Hamas to release kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit while he was still governor.
Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life
