Two Israeli radio hosts have been suspended after making Holocaust jokes and controversial comments about ethnic tensions during their morning show, sparking immediate backlash from Jewish organizations.
During the morning show "Waking Up the Country" on Lev HaMedina Radio hosted by Asaf Atadgi and Adi Sasson, the two discussed yesterday (Tuesday) a video showing Elon Musk appearing to give a Nazi salute, claiming that not everyone who jokes about the Holocaust is antisemitic, as reported by Eran Suissa in 'Israel Hayom'.
Asaf Atadgi said: "I have lots of Holocaust jokes... Two children were arguing during the Holocaust. One says 'What's that sweet smell?' and the other replies 'They're burning the diabetics now.'" Sasson interjected: "I'm in favor of dark humor. I feel that because we're Mizrahi, we're not allowed to joke about it. Because 'it's not ours,' even though Mizrahim are more sensitive to it."
Atadgi responded saying "I want to tell you that in my family, the Nazis reached Morocco." Sasson added by asking: "What do Mizrahim love more than inserting themselves into the Holocaust story?" to which Atadgi replied "It's because of the reparations."
Toward the end of the discussion, Sasson said "Was everyone skinny in the Holocaust? And if there were fat people in the Holocaust, what was the meaning of that? It would be weird to see someone fat in the Holocaust. I see your face. Let's stop Atadgi. We went too far."
The incident prompted a swift response from Sasha Roitman, CEO of the Movement to Combat Anti-Semitism, who condemned the broadcast in a strongly-worded letter to the station management.
"Such expressions are not just offensive – they are intolerable in a country where Holocaust memory is fundamental to our national identity," Roitman wrote. He particularly criticized the hosts' attempt to justify their comments based on their Mizrahi background, saying it "deepens societal rifts while cynically exploiting a sensitive topic."
The radio station management responded by suspending both hosts for one day. They will return to air after delivering a live apology during tomorrow's broadcast.
In a statement, Atadgi expressed remorse on behalf of both hosts: "We sincerely apologize if our words caused offense. Our intention was to make a point about antisemitism through humor, but we recognize now that we were wrong in our approach."
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