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A restaurant in Massachusetts received threats and was forced to temporarily close after serving two World War II reenactment actors who were dressed as Nazi soldiers.
Kith and Kind, a neighborhood eatery in Hudson, said it was deeply sorry for the incident and that it should have asked the customers to change before seating them.
The incident occurred on Saturday night when a group of “living historians” from the local American Heritage Museum went for dinner at the restaurant.
According to Kith and Kin the table of eight showed up in their costumes: four US soldiers, a military nurse, as well a couple dressed as SS soldiers.
“In hindsight, they should have been asked to change before being seated,” the restaurant posted on Facebook.
“Even though we knew they were living historians, at a time when acts of anti-Semitic violence continue to rise, we should have realized other diners might not be aware of the local WWII re-enactment.”
The statement added: “We would never intentionally do anything to offend or hurt anyone in the community. If we truly thought these individuals held anti-Semitic beliefs, we would never have allowed them to step foot in the restaurant.
“As a small, family-owned business, we strive every day to do our best and are continuing to learn and grow. Last night we fell short, and we deeply apologize.”
The apology received several replies from people praising Kith and Kin’s response to the incident.
However, the restaurant posted on Tuesday that following news coverage of the incident it had been the target of “increased harassment and threats.” It announced it would temporarily closed until October 15 “for the safety of our staff.”
The American Heritage museum said the actions of the actors had been “beyond thoughtless,” and had breached the institution’s protocol by wearing them outside of the re-enactment setting.
Museum Trustee Gary Lewi told WBZ-TV that the incident had not been a hate crime, but simply “stupidity.”
"Let’s put that in context. It’s at a time when acts of antisemitic violence are on the rise, when neo-Nazis have taken to the streets, a Holocaust continues to be denied,” Lewi said. “So wearing German uniforms in a public space, that’s beyond thoughtless. That’s repugnant.”
Lewi added that the museum doesn’t even allow costumes with SS collars on their property.
"It does not exist off the field, which is why there are strict protocols that the American Heritage Museum has regarding what to wear, when to wear it, how to wear it and clearly that protocol was violated," he said.
"It’s not a hate crime. It’s stupidity."
The museum has since said it would tighten costume protocols and consequences.
