Jewish leader condemns Hitler AIDS ad

HAMBURG, Germany, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A German AIDS awareness video that uses a Hitler look-alike is an insult to the victims of the Nazi era, a Jewish community leader says.

The video shows a Hitler look-alike having sex followed by the message, "AIDS is a mass murderer. Protect yourself."

"Basically, we wanted to give the virus itself a face, and this face cannot be a beautiful face. That's why we hit on Adolf Hitler," said Dirk Silz, of the Hamburg advertising agency Das Comitee.

The video is to be broadcast on World AIDS Day Dec. 1, Euronews.net reported Tuesday.

Stephan Kramer, secretary-general of Germany's Central Council of Jews, condemned the agency's use of "shock therapy" to draw attention to AIDS prevention.

"They did indeed succeed. However, the collateral damage ... is also there," Kramer said, calling the ad an insult to those sent to Nazi concentration camps.