A Democratic Party fundraiser in Michigan deleted social media posts honoring her grandfather after historians said family photos appear to show Nazi SS uniforms and a notorious concentration camp.
The controversy centers on attorney Kelly Neumann, a political fundraiser who has helped organize events for several Democratic candidates in the state.
Neumann had posted a tribute on Veterans Day in 2024 praising her grandfather, Albert Neumann, who served in Germany’s military during World War II.
The post included several historical photographs from her grandfather’s wartime service.
But after the images resurfaced online, critics said some of the photos appeared to show members of the Nazi SS.
Historians who reviewed the images said the uniforms resemble those worn by the SS, the elite paramilitary force of Nazi Germany.
Experts also said buildings visible in the background appear consistent with structures at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
At least 30,000 prisoners are believed to have died at the camp during World War II.
The camp held Jews, political dissidents, Roma, gay prisoners and other groups persecuted by the Nazi regime.
Military historian Pedro Filipuzzi said the architectural features in the photos closely match buildings at Sachsenhausen.
Another expert on Nazi history said the uniforms visible in the photographs appear closer to SS patterns than those used by the regular German army.
Service in the SS was different from service in Germany’s regular military, per the Daily Mail.
While millions of Germans were conscripted into the army during the war, membership in the SS typically required ideological loyalty to the Nazi regime.
The revelation sparked backlash online and drew criticism from members of the Jewish community and Democratic officials.
Neumann removed the photos and tribute from her social media pages following the criticism.
Before deleting the post, Neumann described her grandfather as “one of my best friends.”
She wrote that he accepted her as a gay woman and supported her when she was younger.
In the same post, she explained that her grandfather fled Germany after the war and lived in Brazil before eventually immigrating to the United States.
Records show Albert Neumann moved to Michigan in 1949 and remained there until his death in 2012.
The controversy also drew attention to Neumann’s political activism.
She has helped organize fundraising events for Democratic candidates in Michigan and has ties to the state’s political establishment.
Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens distanced herself from Neumann following the controversy.
A spokesperson for Stevens said the congresswoman rejects antisemitism and would not have participated in events organized by Neumann had she known about the post.
The controversy has also resurfaced criticism of Neumann’s political messaging.
The attorney previously hosted a fundraiser that featured signage equating the MAGA movement with Nazis.
Neumann did not respond to requests for comment about the controversy.
The SS, led by Nazi official Heinrich Himmler, operated the concentration camp system under dictator Adolf Hitler and carried out many of the regime’s worst atrocities during the Holocaust.
