A Jewish civil rights group is denouncing placards posted at a deteriorating former Detroit car plant that spell out words that were part of a metal gate at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement Tuesday that the posting of "Arbeit macht frei" at the defunct Packard plant is "an intentional and malicious act" and requested its quick removal.
The German phrase meaning "Work makes free" greeted Jews and other prisoners the Germans sent to Auschwitz during World War II. An estimated 1.1 million to 1.5 million people died there.
It's unknown who put up the signs, and the plant's ownership is in dispute.
Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Heidi Budaj says the message reflects the "cruel cynicism of Nazism."
Packard Plant: One last look
The Packard Automotive Plant, at one time considered the most advanced auto plant of its time reminds us of a period when Detroit was an industrial powerhouse. Built around 1910 the plant was the home of the Packard Automobile, one of many luxury lines produced in Detroit. The plant closed its doors in 1958 and still stands today awaiting a looming demolition.
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