Netflix series projects US as Nazi cohorts and Nazi-haters as psychopath, criminals

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There already is criticism about a Netflix series for mocking the existence of the State of Israel. Anyone who already have watched ‘The Defeated’ would also know, in this series diplomats of the United States of America are shown as Nazi collaborators, while this series projects Nazi-haters or Nazi-hunters as psychopaths and criminals.

Netflix original series ‘The Defeated’, starring Taylor Kitsch, Nina Hoss, Tuppence Middleton, Anne Ratte-Polle, Logan Marshall-Green, Mala Emde, Lena, Lena Dörrie, Maximilian Ehrenreich, Benjamin Sadler, Michael C. Hall, Sebastian Koch and others is a crime thriller. In this web series, Taylor Kitsch is back onscreen with a chaotic-looking detective series set in post-World War II Berlin. Written and directed by the Swedish filmmaker- Björn Stein, this series receives its title from the fall of Berlin, which it depicts in detail, and by its stylistic choice to focus on the horrors and traumas of war rather than celebrating its wartime heroism.

According to media reports, this web series shows a Jewish Nazi-hunting group in Germany named ‘Nakam’, where a female member of the group says: “We don’t go to Palestine to create a homeland. We stay here”. Meaning, maker of this series has made an outrageous attempt of rejecting the very claim of the existence of Israel and even went further by stating, the State of Israel was established on a country named Palestine.

Detailing this Netflix original series, the Looper website said:

For anyone who enjoys like period dramas, particularly crime dramas involving World War II, the next streaming obsession should be Netflix’s “The Defeated,” which arrived on the streamer on August 19 (via Observer). As reported by Deadline, the series, which was originally titled “Shadowplay,” is a “gritty dramatic thriller” set in postwar Berlin, 1946. Taylor Kitsch (“Friday Night Lights,” “True Detective”) stars as Max McLaughlin, an American cop who’s tasked with taking down the city’s worst criminal, Werner “Engelmacher” Gladow.

But Max is also heading to Berlin to find his missing brother Moritz (Logan Marshall-Green), who turns out to be hunting down ex-Nazis. Soon, the brothers realize they’re caught up in the early stages of the Cold War.

Planned as a two-season series that will be told across 16 episodes, “The Defeated” was co-created by Swedish director Måns Mårlind, who previously created the American crime series “The Bridge” on FX. Along with Kitsch, Marshall-Green (“Prometheus”), and Koch (“Homeland”), “The Defeated” has a strong cast that includes Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”) Nina Hoss (“A Most Wanted Man”), Tuppence Middleton (“Sense8”), and Mala Emde (“Brecht”).

One question many fans have while watching a period drama is whether the series is based on a true story, or is it fictional? “The Defeated” is definitely the latter. But while it might not be based on historical events, its inspiration is still surprising.

What ‘inspiration’ people may get by watching this web series? To start thinking Israel is not a legitimate nation and was created by Jews through by occupying Palestinian land?

In my opinion, there isn’t any “inspiration” in this Netflix original series. Instead it feeds the audience the anti-Semite and pro-Nazi propaganda.

Back in 2020, another Netflix superhero series named ‘The Umbrella Academy’ was accused of promoting anti-Semitic stereotype.

According to an article in the Jewish Exponent, the show, based on a comic book series of the same name, includes an underground society of lizard people who secretly control the world and their handler — who speaks Yiddish in at least one scene.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews published an open letter criticizing the show.

“The use of a Yiddish saying by the evil boss of an organization which controls the world’s timeline is clearly an antisemitic trope,” the group’s vice president Amanda Bowman told the Sun, a British tabloid, after the open letter was published. “Whether intentional or not, this makes for very uncomfortable viewing. Netflix should take action to remove the racism from this scene”.

Jewish writer Katherine Locke told the Sun that she also believes the show, which co-stars Ellen Page promotes the “antisemitic conspiracy theory that there’s a secret cabal of Jews controlling or manipulating the world”.

“This scene played right into that. And I think the important part here is: some people will brush this scene off. A lot of people didn’t even see it … But there are two groups of people who will see it, and whom I believe are meant to see it: Jewish viewers, and antisemites. It felt like a dog whistle and a warning all in one,” she said.

The real-life modern conspiracy theory involving lizards who control the world is often associated with British writer David Icke, who draws from the anti-Semitic tract “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”.

Netflix took stand against anti-Semitism

In July this year, Netflix took a stand against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

“We stand united against antisemitism in all its forms, including the worrying increase in hate crimes and Holocaust denial”, the popular streaming service posted to its official Twitter and Instagram accounts.

The comment section, meanwhile, inundated with posts about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the hashtag “free Palestine”, indicated the need for such a stance.

Other commenters, however, expressed appreciation for the announcement.

Yoseph Haddad, the CEO of “Together – Vouch for Each Other,” an NGO which aims to bridge the gap between the Arab sector of Israeli society with Israeli society as a whole, praised the statement from Netflix.

He said: “Thank you Netflix for this important statement that unfortunately for so many is not a given. I see the thousands of anti-Israel comments here that instead of agreeing with the post and attacking the phenomenon of antisemitism, prefer to attack the State of Israel (which was not mentioned at all in the post). For all the haters, I want to tell you one thing – if you think you will succeed with your blind hatred you’ve seen too much science fiction on Netflix. Watch Fauda [a popular series on Netflix] instead!”

There also has been objection from the Jewish viewers about Netflix show ‘My Orthodox Life’. According to the Forward opinion editorial:

The new Netflix reality show “My Unorthodox Life,” which depicts the life and family of Julia Haart, a formerly Orthodox woman who left her community and now runs a top modeling agency, is generating discomfort, debate, and some loud objections about the nature of Jewish and Orthodox representation on-screen.

But Elon Gold, for one, would like everyone to just chill.

“Everybody needs to calm down and focus all of their anger on Ben and/or Jerry, those mamzers,” he said, using a Yiddish word that connotes scoundrels. “We love to be mad at things and people. It’s fun for us, it’s a sport”.

“We’re annoyed at things. So the new thing to be annoyed at is this yenta and her family,” said Gold, a comedian and actor who identifies as Modern Orthodox and has a recurring role on the upcoming season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

Gold dismisses the idea that Netflix is stoking Jew-hatred for sharing narratives like “My Unorthodox Life”.

“You can’t ignore the fact that it reflects poorly on Orthodox Jews. But there are so many overreactions,” said Gold. “For example, ‘Netflix is antisemitic?’ Really?” he added, noting the platform carries the Israeli dramas “Fauda” and “Shtisel” and Holocaust documentaries, among other critically-acclaimed Jewish-themed shows. “Everyone has to calm down about Netflix”.

Well, about Netflix original series ‘The Defeated’, people like me would definitely love a sequence, where Logan Marshall-Green, who played the role of Moritz. In a sequence, Moritz said: “Who is worse than Nazis? The devil? No! Devil was an angel. He challenged the God and became devil. Then who is worse than the Nazis? Those who help or collaborate with Nazis are worse than them”.

True, those who help or collaborate with Nazis are worse than Nazi themselves.

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