COMMENTARY: Italy Must End Its Sale of Wine with Photos of Hitler on Bottles

It was revealed today (August 8, 2012) that bottles of wine -- with pictures of Adolf Hitler on the label in various poses -- are being sold in supermarkets in Italy.

Michael Hirsch -- a lawyer from Philadelphia who is currently on vacation in Garda, Italy -- found it shocking when he saw these bottles of wine being sold. He believes that by selling these bottles of wine, Italians are showing a lack of sympathy they should have toward Jews, some six million of whom were killed by Hitler's Nazi troops during World War II.

When Hirsch complained to a store employee about the wine bottles, the employee showed no empathy, and said, "It's just history, like Mussolini and Che Guevara."

The father of Hirsch's wife, Cindy, was born in Czechoslovakia and is an Auschwitz survivor. Cindy's aunt, grandparents, and other family members were killed at Auschwitz. Mrs. Hirsch said this is not only an affront to Jews, but an affront to humanity as a whole.

We agree with Cindy Hirsch's viewpoint. The fact is that Hitler was the most hateful tyrant of the 20th century -- and perhaps in all of history.

For Italy to pay tribute to Hitler by placing photos of him on wine bottles conveys a lack of respect for the millions of Jews that were murdered, and the millions of troops who were killed in World War II.

Moreover, it is a disgusting way for a wine company to try to make money, as it is an insult to the integrity of society.

Indeed, Italian prosecutors need to put an end to the sale of wine in these offensive bottles -- and the sooner they do so, the better.