A Nashville hat store known as Hatwrks has come under fire after Star of David patches were advertised on Instagram reading "Not Vaccinated."
— Rachel Tiede (@RMTiede) May 29, 2021
It is hard to see how anyone would not make the connection. The patch sold at Hatwrks is even frayed at the edges similarly to the ones Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust.
And for those who have not followed this: https://t.co/MWzG30QnNk
— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) May 29, 2021
2/ Using a Nazi Star of David to make a point about vaccines offends Jewish people everywhere.
— Dr. Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755) May 28, 2021
You may not WANT to be anti-semitic.
But using a symbol of hatred towards Jews IS anti-semitic.
Though the Instagram post has been deleted and the product does not look to be available anywhere on their website, the business is still receiving negative attention due to the original post and subsequent Instagram posts.
There is also a post quoting conspiracy theorist David Icke, who is known for the Reptilian theory that many world leaders and other figures are really Reptilian like aliens who control Earth.
The Hatwrks website advertises that they sell Stetson products, and the brand has addressed the matter on Twitter.
We are aware of the situation in Nashville. We take this matter seriously and are investigating in order to take the necessary and appropriate next steps. Along with our distribution partners, Stetson condemns antisemitism and discrimination of any kind.
— John B. Stetson (@StetsonUSA) May 29, 2021
Many people expressed outrage on Twitter, including Jewish people who were alive and living in Europe during WWII and the relatives of Holocaust survivors.
Wowww ??
— Jake Lobin (@JakeLobin) May 28, 2021
The shop hatWRKS (Hatworks) in Nashville proudly sells yellow stars w/ the words "Not Vaccinated"...
My grandparents' entire families were killed in the Holocaust. Their bodies incinerated. That's ?????????????? like COVID precautions.
HOW MANY TIMES MUST WE DO THIS?? pic.twitter.com/4TRKWH3M00
Additionally, volunteers at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, who are also survivors, signed onto an open letter from Friday. In addition to condemning antisemitism, the letter also spoke out against the star being "exploited."
One part of the letter read "It is deeply painful for us to see our personal history—the systematic destruction of our families and communities and murder of six million Jewish men, women, and children—exploited in this way. What we survived should be remembered, studied, and learned from, but never misused."