American Jewish writer, artist and Nazi supporter Gertrude Stein was cited in a White House proclamation in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month.
The official release, which praises Jewish contributions to American society, states, “Their history of unbroken perseverance and their belief in tomorrow’s promise offers a lesson not only to Jewish Americans, but to all Americans. From Aaron Copland to Albert Einstein, Gertrude Stein to Justice Louis Brandeis.”
Prior to War World II, Stein told the New York Times magazine that Adolf Hitler should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "because he is removing all the elements of contest and of struggle from Germany."
In a column published in Algemeiner Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz explains that, “Gertrude Stein was herself a major collaborator with the Vichy regime and a supporter of its pro-Nazi leadership.”
“Stein’s closest friend, and a man who greatly influenced her turn toward fascism was Bernard Fay, who the Vichy government put in charge of hunting down Masons, Jews and other perceived enemies of the State,” Dershowitz wrote. “Fay was more than a mere collaborator as suggested by the Met exhibit. He was a full blown Nazi operative, responsible for the deaths of many people.”
“After the war, when the horrendous results were known to all, Gertrude wrote in support of Fay when he was placed on trial for his Nazi war crimes,” he added.
In an email to the Algemeiner, Matt Lehrich, a White House spokesman claimed that the inclusion of Gertrude Stein in the proclamation was a mistake. He wrote, “A version of this proclamation was sent out in error. The corrected final version has now been issued.”
The new release, dated May 2nd, omits the reference to Stein and the corrected paragraph reads, “Their history of unbroken perseverance and their belief in tomorrow’s promise offers a lesson not only to Jewish Americans, but to all Americans. Generations of Jewish Americans have brought to bear some of our country’s greatest achievements and forever enriched our national life.”
As of the publication of this article, the White House website still carries the original version of the proclamation that includes the mention of Stein.