Holocaust-Themed Ice Skating Performance By Wife Of Putin Aide Sparks Outrage
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Olympic figure skating champion Tatiana Navka, the wife of Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, triggered an uproar for taking part in a Holocaust-themed performance with actor Andrey Burkovskiy.
They wore vertical striped uniforms with gold Stars of David sewn on them, similar to those worn by Jewish prisoners in concentrations camps, and performed for a Russian reality television show on which judges gave the skaters perfect scores.
They glided across the ice to "Beautiful That Way," a song featured in the 1997 movie "Life is Beautiful" about the Holocaust.
A video of Saturday night's routine was posted on YouTube.
Navka posted a series of pictures of the routine on her Instagram account, where critics lashed out at the figure skater and demanded an apology.
In her post, Navka said the performance was based on "Life is Beautiful," which she said is one of her favorite movies. She added that children need to remember and know about the Holocaust.
But that did not stop criticism from pouring in, including those from celebrities.
This was not the first time Russian reality TV aired a Holocaust-themed performance, according to the Jerusalem Post, which called the routine a "chilling performance."
A dance routine for Russia's version of "Dancing with the Stars" in April featured a man dressed as a Nazi officer looking for a young Jewish girl who was hiding. The performance was set to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon."
