Russian Television ignited controversy when it used the Holocaust as a theme on its reality competition program “Ice Age, ” which airs on Russia’s Channel 1.
Dancers Andrew Burkovsjy and Tatyana Navka, a former Olympic figure skating medalist and the wife of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov, dressed as Jewish concentration camp prisoners in an appearance on the program. The pair wore black-and-white striped jumpsuits with yellow Star of David patches, just as Jews in German concentration camps were forced to wear during the Holocaust. They also tried to appear lean and malnourished.
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But we don’t think that concentration camp prisoners were this cheerful. Sarah Silverman has even taken to Twitter to comment.
Oh those whacky Holocaust victims (OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD) https://t.co/mzn441sQZD
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) November 27, 2016
The dance was choreographed to the song “Beautiful that Way, ” sung by Jewish Israeli singer Acinoam-Noa Nini. It was the musical theme from the 1997 Italian Holocaust film “Life is Beautiful.”
Social media has exploded with calls for an apology from the pair and from the nation of Russia itself.
The Russian version of “Dancing With the Stars” on a State-owned television network was forced to apologize in April, after featuring a couple where a Nazi officer hunted a young Jewish girl hiding behind a piano. The dance started with the officer playing the piano, stopping sharply and demanding the girl show herself before “shooting” his weapon at her feet. The pear were danced to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”
That dance ended with the Jewish girl dead on the ground while the officer screamed and shot randomly in all directions.
Two years ago 15-year-old skater Yulia Lipnitskaya won a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics for her “Holocaust on ice” based on the Oscar-winning Holocaust movie “Schindler’s List.”
Just watch the video of the performance above and let us know what you think.
