James Smith, the director of the Beth Shalom Holocaust Center in Nottingham, told reporters that he accepted Harry's apology. But, he added, for a prince in Britain not to realize the offense the costume would cause showed that the lessons of the Holocaust have not seeped into the hearts of everyone.
"That's what worries me," he said. "It's not so much the costume as the lack of awareness of what actually happened."
Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said in an interview from Los Angeles that the apology was not enough.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement late yesterday saying Harry would not go to Auschwitz because he would be a distraction. Hier said that decision demonstrates the prince has not learned from his mistake.
"The distraction will be if he hides behind Buckingham Palace and handlers," Hier said. "He showed not only a great insensitivity to the Holocaust but an ignorance of his own family history. Hiding behind this press release, can Prince Harry look anyone in the eye?"
