# Historic re-enactors dressing up as Nazis at a private party. Is that kosher? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 18, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992 "2014-03-18T11:38:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/41 "2014-03-18T16:28:14Z")
Dressing up as Nazis in a WW2 battle re-enactment sounds silly but harmless. Having some beer and brats at a German themed party sounds like fun. But dressing as Nazis at a restaurant for no particular reason sounds just a bit creepy.There are all kinds of traditional German costumes one could dress in if one just wanted to celebrate German heritage. Wear lederhosen, or dress as Beethoven, for crying out loud! ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/42 "2014-03-18T16:30:45Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > As I understand it, the groups who arranged the annual dinner in the OP are members of the [World War II Historical Re-Enactment Society](http://www.worldwartwohrs.org/), so they are war-game re-enactors. They can’t do their hobby in the wintertime, so they have a Christmas dinner to hang out with their war re-enacting buddies. That is to say, the war games came first, the dinner is just an offshoot of it. Weird thing is, if this was just a “keep in touch with your mates in the off season” type thing, wouldn’t there be about as many G.I.s, leathernecks, Montgomery aides and KGB political officers cosplayers present ? The “you can’t play LARP Axis & Allies if being Axis is morally verboten” argument is compelling… but these guys seem to play 1/3rd of Axis & Axis :p. I can’t even see a lone \*Bersagliere \*moping in a corner or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/43 "2014-03-18T16:35:40Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Dressing up as Nazis in a WW2 battle re-enactment sounds silly but harmless. > > Having some beer and brats at a German themed party sounds like fun. > > But dressing as Nazis at a restaurant for no particular reason sounds just a bit creepy.There are all kinds of traditional German costumes one could dress in if one just wanted to celebrate German heritage. Wear lederhosen, or dress as Beethoven, for crying out loud! As Human Action noted this event was specifically for WW2 reenactors. That said I don’t think the outfits were really the problem. Frankly given the blurry nature of the pics I can’t say for certain any of those uniforms were specifically SS or Gestapo\*. The large number of Swastika flags is what makes many wince, understandably. - Does anyone reenact Gestapo?! Its a police unit! ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/44 "2014-03-18T16:37:35Z")
> [@WheatCat](#): > > OP and my reply limited the case to include wearing Nazi regalia. However, my 2nd paragraph introduced some ambiguity. I might be willing to give a pass to war games where there were no swastikas on the uniforms. What about historical movies? Want swastikas banned from those too? War games are war games. If they were marching through the Lower East Side you’d have a point. They’re not and you haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/45 "2014-03-18T16:40:13Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Weird thing is, if this was just a “keep in touch with your mates in the off season” type thing, wouldn’t there be about as many G.I.s, leathernecks, Montgomery aides and KGB political officers cosplayers present No, not really. Although opposing units are generally friendly with each other that does not mean they hang out with each other. Its just a social dynamic. Civil War events tried a lot to force all comers into social events and it just didn’t work. Nobody was hostile or anything it just did not work. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/46 "2014-03-18T16:40:46Z")
Way back in the mists of time when I was still in secondary school, we had a “school camp” and we visited a Jewish organisation (I want to say Camp David, but my memory is too blurry) - and I was rather disappointed / annoyed to find they had dedicated an entire room to nazi stuff - with very prominently displayed Swastikas - even went so far as to have an interesting discussion with my history teacher about it. Doesn’t prove or mean anything of course… Except that there’s more to history than hiding Nazis in a corner never to hear their name ---
**Author:** ![WheatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@WheatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WheatCat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/47 "2014-03-18T16:42:05Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > What about historical movies? Want swastikas banned from those too? War games are war games. If they were marching through the Lower East Side you’d have a point. They’re not and you haven’t. No, because literary creations such as novels and movies are a different category from military wargame reenactments and social occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/48 "2014-03-18T16:43:53Z")
(OT, obscure National Lampoon reference): “I’ve wanted to do this ever since I first heard negro music!” ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/49 "2014-03-18T16:43:55Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Weird thing is, if this was just a “keep in touch with your mates in the off season” type thing, wouldn’t there be about as many G.I.s, leathernecks, Montgomery aides and KGB political officers cosplayers present ? The “you can’t play LARP Axis & Allies if being Axis is morally verboten” argument is compelling… but these guys seem to play 1/3rd of Axis & Axis :p. I can’t even see a lone \*Bersagliere \*moping in a corner or anything. Maybe you get closer to the guys in your unit, since you’re spending more time with them during the actual events, to the point where they’re the ones to go to off-season dinner with? I’m not up on WW2 re-enacting as much as the Civil War stuff. Maybe the U.S. guys get together for burgers and fries, the Commonwealth guys go to the pub, and so on. Anyway, the salient point for me is that this is a group of re-enactment units in the offseason, not just independent Nazi-fanciers. ---
**Author:** ![WheatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@WheatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WheatCat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/50 "2014-03-18T16:44:46Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Except that there’s more to history than hiding Nazis in a corner never to hear their name Please direct us to the reply where this suggestion was made. ---
**Author:** ![WheatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@WheatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WheatCat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/51 "2014-03-18T16:56:29Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > As I understand it, the groups who arranged the annual dinner in the OP are members of the [World War II Historical Re-Enactment Society](http://www.worldwartwohrs.org/), so they are war-game re-enactors. They can’t do their hobby in the wintertime, so they have a Christmas dinner to hang out with their war re-enacting buddies. That is to say, the war games came first, the dinner is just an offshoot of it. Just an offshoot, huh? Did you look at the goddam swastika flags draped all over the place? It is not necessary to go to such an extreme for a goddam “offshoot”. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/52 "2014-03-18T16:57:18Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > No, not really. Although opposing units are generally friendly with each other that does not mean they hang out with each other. Its just a social dynamic. > > Civil War events tried a lot to force all comers into social events and it just didn’t work. Nobody was hostile or anything it just did not work. Fair enough. I’m not familiar with historical re-enactment circles, but I do know my geeks and how tribal they can get 😉 (but now I kinda wonder if there’s a sushi place in Minnesota where old white dudes congregate once a year to get pished on sake in full Imperial regalia and shout “Banzai Tenno !” while the Korean owners are nonplussed…) ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/53 "2014-03-18T17:02:36Z")
> [@WheatCat](#): > > Just an offshoot, huh? > > Did you look at the goddam swastika flags draped all over the place? It is not necessary to go to such an extreme for a goddam “offshoot”. If they were wearing the uniforms but didn’t have the flags, would you be ok with it? ---
**Author:** ![WheatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@WheatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WheatCat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/54 "2014-03-18T17:03:23Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > If they were wearing the uniforms but didn’t have the flags, would you be ok with it? No. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/55 "2014-03-18T17:05:36Z")
> [@WheatCat](#): > > No. Then the flags are irrelevant, no? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/56 "2014-03-18T17:07:58Z")
What I’m really baffled by is a German restaurant owner allowing this. ---
**Author:** ![WheatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@WheatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WheatCat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/57 "2014-03-18T17:20:55Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > Then the flags are irrelevant, no? No, but they are more prominent because of their size. Now, you aren’t any Socrates, so instead of this run of leading questions why don’t you submit your own opinion so we can evaluate it? ---
**Author:** ![WheatCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@WheatCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WheatCat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/58 "2014-03-18T17:26:28Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > What I’m really baffled by is a German restaurant owner allowing this. Pierzchalski is a German name? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/59 "2014-03-18T17:27:13Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Fair enough. I’m not familiar with historical re-enactment circles, but I do know my geeks and how tribal they can get 😉 At the end of the day, reenactors are pretty much just another type of geek, so that makes yours a perfect example. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992/60 "2014-03-18T17:32:32Z")
> [@WheatCat](#): > > Pierzchalski is a German name? [Yes, apparently](http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=40&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=ms_f-40&gsln=Pierzchalski&uidh=000). German origin seems to be the majority emigrating country, followed by Polish. But regardless, it’s a German restaurant that has an owner. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-re-enactors-dressing-up-as-nazis-at-a-private-party-is-that-kosher/683992.md?page=4)