The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Friday denounced Indian B. Jain Publishing Group’s Pegasus line for selling a book for children titled “Great Leaders” with a picture of Hitler on the cover at the Krithi International Book Fair in Cochin as well as on their website.
A member of the Simon Wiesenthal Center bought the book along with the Pegasus edition of Hitler’s notorious “Mein Kampf” at the Krithi International Book Fair in Cochin, ironically the city that served as home to Jews in India for hundreds of years.
The cover of the book shows photos of Hitler, along with Gandhi, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Winston Churchill, former US President Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
The back of the 48- page book states: “Our world faces many challenges, which need to be dealt with skillfully. Some men and women, through their vision and understanding of these challenges, have the ability to solve any untoward situation. The book lays focus on some of these powerful world leaders who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of their countries and the people living in them — who have not just governed nations during peace times but also during times of crisis.”
“Dedicated to the betterment of countries and people? Adolf Hitler? This description would bring tears of joy to the Nazis and their racist neo-Nazi heirs. Adolf Hitler was a visionary—his vision almost destroyed our planet; started WWII – which left tens of millions dead and mass murdered 6 million Jews during the Nazi Holocaust,” charged Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and who directs the Jewish human rights NGO’s global social action agenda.
“Placing Hitler alongside truly great political and humanitarian leaders is an abomination that is made worse as it targets young people with little or no knowledge of world history and ethics,” Cooper continued.
“The Wiesenthal Center demands that Pegasus Books remove “Great Leaders” from circulation and its online store. Pegasus lists offices in the United Kingdom, UAE, Mexico, Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritius and Solomon Islands.