A couple of World War II reenactors dressed as Nazis should’ve been asked to change out of their SS soldier costumes before they were served at a Massachusetts restaurant, the business wrote in an online apology.
“Last night we fell short, and we deeply apologize,” Kith and Kin in Hudson said on Facebook the morning of Oct. 13. Hudson is about a 40-mile drive northwest from Boston.
The Nazi reenactors were seated at a table of eight with four reenactors dressed as U.S. soldiers and one wearing a military nurse costume, according to the restaurant’s Facebook post.
They were living historians from the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Kith and Kin wrote.
“Even though we knew they were living historians, at a time when acts of antisemitic violence continue to rise, we should have realized other diners might not be aware of the local WWII re-enactment,” the restaurant’s Facebook post said.
The business has limited who can comment on the post. Nearly 300 comments had been left by Facebook users who shared varying reactions.
“As someone who happened to be there dining I did notice and thought it was odd that the reenactors mistakenly felt it unnecessary to change out of the costumes … I can’t imagine they truly thought it was acceptable to wear those costumes to dine in public …,” Facebook user Beth Bruso commented.
Another user, Dave Crocket, commented that he visited the American Heritage Museum on Oct. 12 and spoke with reenactors, saying it was an educational experience.
“I agree the uniforms were not appropriate to be worn in public (and) should have stayed at the museum,”’ Crocket wrote. “Before we attack the restaurant, we need to consider, maybe an 18 year old waiter or waitress does not understand these things. Hard to judge not being there.”
Kith and Kin has faced harassment and threats after news reports about the incident, the restaurant wrote Oct. 15 on Facebook.
The restaurant is closed Oct. 15 to keep staff safe, the business said in the post.
Kith and Kin didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Oct. 15.
In the restaurant’s apology, the business wrote: “We would never intentionally do anything to offend or hurt anyone in the community.”
One Facebook user, Bethany Lambert Frey, commented that the reenactors should issue an apology and wrote that “none of this is your fault.”
Rob Collings, the president of the American Heritage Museum, denounced what happened in an emailed statement to McClatchy News on Oct. 15, saying “at a time when acts of antisemitic violence continue to rise, when neo-Nazis have taken to the streets, and the horrors of the Holocaust continue to be denied, wearing German uniforms in a public space is beyond thoughtless, it’s repugnant.”
“These uniforms were meant to be used in the context of an historical reenactment designed to educate a new generation as to what American GIs confronted and defeated some 80 years ago,” Collings said.
“In the wake of this incident we are undertaking a thorough review of how our strict presentation protocols are understood and followed by the living historians who participate in our programs and the consequences when they are ignored,” he added.
Gary Lewi, a trustee at the American Heritage Museum, felt that the reenactors should’ve changed or covered their costumes before visiting the restaurant, he told WHDH.
“The idea of them wearing it to a public space, be it a restaurant or a park or anywhere else, is inexcusable,” Lewi said, according to the outlet.
“When you take World War II German uniforms out of the context of where they’re supposed to be presented to help tell a story, and you put them into a public environment like a restaurant, yeah, eyebrows will be raised and justifiably so,” he added.
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