UPDATE: Indiana lawmaker visits CANDLES after controversy over Nazi quote

Aug. 19—A day after condemning a state legislator for a social media post in which he displayed a quote from a Nazi leader, CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center hosted the lawmaker.

The museum in Terre Haute sent out a news release saying state Rep. Jim Lucas on Thursday, "came to visit CANDLES on his own accord, eager to learn more about the museum, Eva Kor, and the lessons of the Holocaust."

The late Eva Kor of Terre Haute, a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp and of SS Dr. Josef Mengele's experiments, founded CANDLES.

"It was a positive visit, and we shared a great conversation about the importance of Holocaust education in Indiana. We better understand the events that unfolded earlier this week and appreciate opportunities to build stronger communities through conversations like we had today," Candles said in its release.

Said Troy Fears, CANDLES executive director, "I am very appreciative of Rep. Lucas for visiting CANDLES. And for his efforts to find out why we found his recent social media post problematic. We are always happy to engage in conversations that lead to a greater understanding of the Holocaust."

On Wednesday, CANDLES criticized Lucas, a Republican from Seymour, regarding a Facebook photo in which Lucas displayed a quote frequently attributed to Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany's minister of propaganda from 1933 to 1945.

That quote read:

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."

Lucas later deleted the photo. He also posted again on the topic, saying the Goebbels' quote was only displayed in an effort to illustrate how lies, particularly lies by government, can lead to the growth of evil.

"I offered nothing else, incorrectly thinking people would simply read the quote and THINK about it and the historical significance of it, but this was obviously assuming too much," the state lawmaker wrote.

Lucas said he was not trying to compare the U.S. government to that of Nazi Germany.

On Thursday afternoon, Lucas wrote on his Facebook page, "What do you do when there's a misunderstanding? You meet face to face and fix it!

"Given the amount of misunderstanding and subsequent ensuing hysteria generated by too many in the media and those simply looking for an opportunity to bash me over a recent social media post I made involving history, I drove up to the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute to meet with their incredible staff to discuss my recent posting of a quote by Goebbels in which he described how to initiate and grow evil.

"They were as kind as they were accommodating and I spent over 2 hours touring, discussing and learning about the museum's history and purpose.

"If you've never been there, I can't recommend it enough. To see and learn about the personal history of Eva Kor is truly an incredible experience."

CANDLES is open to the public every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org.

Mark Fitton can be reached at mark.fitton@tribstar.com or 812-231-4333.