May 16, 2008
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News Release from
The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies March 01, 2004
Holocaust Institute Criticizes Academy Awards for Tribute to Nazi Propagandist
A leading Holocaust research institute is criticizing the Academy Awards for including Nazi propaganda filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl in the memorial tribute to recently-deceased movie industry figures during last night's awards ceremony. Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, wrote in a letter to Frank R. Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: "Leni Riefenstahl was Hitler's hand-picked filmmaker, and she played a leading role in making propaganda for the most evil regime in human history. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should not have included her alongside legitimate artists who recently passed away, such as Gregory Peck and Elia Kazan, but rather should have explained that Riefenstahl was an example of how art can be perverted to promote fascism, racism, and genocide." Riefenstahl, who died last September, was personally chosen by Hitler to direct films glorifying the Nazis, such as "Triumph of the Will." Riefenstahl even used Gypsy prisoners from German concentration camps as extras in one of her films. Although Riefenstahl later claimed she did not support the Nazis, when Hitler conquered Paris in 1940, she sent him a telegram declaring: "Your deeds exceed the power of human imagination. They are without equal in the history of mankind. How can we [the German people] ever thank you?" The Wyman Institute's Arts & Letters Council includes a number of prominent filmmakers, as well as leading artists, writers, and musicians. 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, and filmmakers. (A complete list is available upon request.) (Return to top) |
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