HUDSON – A restaurant in Massachusetts was forced to temporarily close after its employees were threatened. The news came days after staff served World War II re-enactors who were at the restaurant wearing Nazi uniforms.

A group of historians from the American Heritage Museum went to Kith and Kin in Hudson for dinner Saturday night. According to the restaurant, four were dressed as American soldiers, one as a military nurse and two as SS soldiers.

Sorry about the Kith and Kin restaurant

The restaurant owners apologized on their Facebook page on Sunday.

“In hindsight, you should have asked them to change before sitting down. Even if we knew they were living historians, at a time when anti-Semitic violence is on the rise, we should have recognized that other guests might not have been aware of it.” “local re-enactment of the Second World War”, the statement says.

“We would never intentionally do anything to offend or hurt anyone in the community. If we truly believed that these individuals had anti-Semitic beliefs, we would never have allowed them to set foot in the restaurant. As a small family business, we strive to do our best every day and continue to learn and grow. We missed it last night and we deeply apologize.

Restaurant threatened

Despite the apology, the restaurant had to temporarily close on Tuesday due to alleged threats.

“Following the news broadcasts last night, our restaurant has been the target of increasing harassment and threats. Therefore, for the safety of our employees, we will unfortunately remain closed today, Tuesday, October 15th,” the owners said in another Facebook post.

The museum, also based in Hudson, said it would not be appropriate to wear the uniforms outside of a historical or educational context.

“More than thoughtless”

“Let’s put this into context. At a time when anti-Semitic acts of violence are increasing, when neo-Nazis are taking to the streets, a Holocaust continues to be denied. So wearing German uniforms in public spaces is beyond thoughtless.” “It’s disgusting,” Gary Lewi, trustee of the American Heritage Museum, told WBZ-TV.

Lewi said the museum doesn’t even allow costumes with SS collars on its grounds.

“It doesn’t exist off the field, which is why the American Heritage Museum has strict protocols about what to wear, when to wear it and how to wear it, and that protocol was clearly violated,” he said.

Lewi added: “It’s not a hate crime. It’s stupidity.”

The museum said it would tighten costume protocols and consequences.