Knesset committee to discuss banning Nazi imagery

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee is scheduled to discuss a bill on Sunday banning the use of Nazi imagery for noneducational purposes.

The bill was drafted by the head of the Knesset's anti-Semitism lobby, MK Shimon Ohayon (Yisrael Beytenu), and calls for a ban on the use of Nazi-associated imagery: the swastika, striped clothing resembling concentration camp uniforms, wearing the Jewish star or any other item that clearly references the Nazis -- outside of historical or educational contexts. The punishment proposed is up to six months in jail and up to 100,000 shekels ($29,000) in fines.

Germany, Poland and Hungary all have laws in place banning the use of Nazi imagery. In other European countries, the use of Nazi imagery falls under laws banning racial incitement.

"It's unthinkable that Germany and other countries have a law banning Nazi imagery, and that Israel does not. The growth of neo-Nazi parties and movements using Nazi imagery are a danger to the entire Jewish world. Even more, sport and cultural icons are using Nazi symbols in one way or another, which is why we have to exercise extreme caution. If we overlook these incidents in Israel, how can we tell others to stop abroad? [Nazi imagery] presents a painful blow to each an every one of us, especially to Holocaust survivors," Ohayon told Israel Hayom.

The bill cites the "rise in the use of Nazi symbols and slogans in recent years. The unacceptable ease with which these elements are used as part of the public and political discourse, while completely disrespecting the feelings of Holocaust survivors and their descendants, is beyond reproach."