"Nazi Souvenirs"

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Candice: Welcome to Cracker Croakers. I'm Candice Bergeron, your hostess with the mostest.

Colton: And, I'm your other host Colton Wyatt.

Candice: Today we are very honored to have the holocaust expert Doctor Rhonda Rosenthal join us for our roundtable discussion.

Colton: Welcome, Doctor Rosenthal. And, thanks for joining us today to share some of your invaluable insights into this unique phenomenon.

Dr. Rosenthal: My pleasure, Colton. Appreciate the invitation.

Candice: Josef Mengele's journals and Adolf Hitler's ring featuring a swastika made of sixteen rubies.

Colton: Not to mention Hitler's telephone removed from his Fuhrerbunker in Berlin.

Dr. Rosenthal: Let's don't forget the Adolf Hitler-inscribed propaganda photograph depicting the Nazi leader hugging the Jewish girl Rosa Bernile Nienau.

Candice: Doctor Rosenthal, didn't Hitler seem to have a genuine fondness for Rosa Nienau although he claimed to despise Jews?

Dr. Rosenthal: Yes, they shared the same birthday of April 20. Hitler frequently referred to her as "the Fuhrer's child" and she often called him "Uncle Hitler".

Candice: These items we've mentioned, I'm sure they were auctioned off for a pretty penny. However, the question remains why?

Dr. Rosenthal: Because, Candice, there's big money to be made in the Nazi artifact market.

Colton: But, at a time of growing anti-Semitism and anti-white nationalism?

Dr. Rosenthal: The selling of Third Reich relics, genuine or imitation, stirs up quite a debate, Colton.

Candice: Some major online players have come down hard against this practice though, haven't they Doctor Rosenthal?

Dr. Rosenthal: The British auction house Christie's, Sotheby's, Facebook, and even eBay have all taken that stance. They've gone as far as to curb, or even ban, these sales.

Colton: Isn't it true the demand for Third Reich items keeps multiplying?

Dr. Rosenthal: There appears to be several causes for this increase, Colton. For instance, many people fear that humanity is forgetting the Nazis existed, as well as the extent of harm they caused.

Candice: A lot of this material came home with soldiers after World War Two ended. These soldiers are growing older and are selling off the memorabilia they collected while fighting in Germany.

Colton: Many Jewish organizations have publicly denounced these transactions, but not all of them. Why is that Doctor Rosenthal?

Dr. Rosenthal: The reason most often offered to explain this decision is because they feel some of Hitler's, and the Nazi regime's, items are worth saving even though they believe the anti-Semitic history should not be forgotten.

Candice: But, selling these items to the highest bidder? C'mon! Doesn't that border on immoral, Doctor Rosenthal?

Dr. Rosenthal: Although a minority, there are individuals who believe such objects as Nazi writings revealing their murderous intentions should be preserved.

Colton: Doesn't the preservation of Nazi collectibles serve to inflate Hitler's mystic?

Candice: Not to mention bolster anti-Semites. I mean, bigots must receive nourishment from seeing these items out in the public sector.

Dr. Rosenthal: Other modern trends that tend to drive the desire for Nazi objects are World War Two movies, documentaries, and what at one time appeared to be an endless supply of Nazi programming provided by the History Channel. These serve to pique the curiosity of those individuals interesting in harvesting Nazi souvenirs. And, the image of Adolf Hitler still resonates with extremists.

Colton: Doctor Rosenthal, isn't it true that one of Mengele's notebooks sold for about fifty thousand dollars to an orthodox Jewish man?

Dr. Rosenthal: Sad to admit that is correct, Colton. The buyer's grandmother survived the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

Candice: Profiting from the sale of Nazi tokens is repulsive!

Colton: That includes the sales of Nazi poems, letters, and the propaganda school papers of Joseph Goebbels.

Dr. Rosenthal: Let's don't forget the interrogation notes of Hitler's doctor Theodor Morell, that proved he received female hormones.

Candice: Or the blood-stained fabric from the sofa where Hitler shot himself on April 30, 1945. Why would anybody want something as ominous as that?

Colton: That's something to consider, Candice. Why would they?

Candice: We would like to thank our special guest, Doctor Rhonda Rosenthal for joining us today.

Dr. Rosenthal: My pleasure, Candice. Thank you for having me here to impart a small portion of my knowledge on this highly debated issue.

Candice: Well, that about wraps us up for this edition of Cracker Croakers.

Colton: In that case smarty-pants, I suppose we better say adieu. She's Candice!

Candice: And, he's Colton!

Candice and Colton: And, we invite you to join us again tomorrow for another entertaining edition of Cracker Croakers (Featuring Candice and Colton).

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