Claudia and Stan Gocman were in "utter shock" to find that their wedding video came, they said, with an anti-Semitic narration, apparently by the videographer who was shooting what was supposed to be their "special day."
In watching the raw version of the ceremony, the Gocmans, who are Jewish, said they could hear a voice, evidently videographerAnthony Aurelius, making crude comments, even excusing Adolph Hitler for the Holocaust.
Jewish people "never respected themselves," the voice they believed to belong to Aurelius could be heard saying, labeling Jewish women "snooty."
Also on the video, heard by ABC News, was the line, "Some of the Jewish women are very beautiful to look at, but I can tell you, they're f****** cows. They'd be a pain in the a**."
While filming the newlyweds dancing, the voice believed to be Aurelius could be heard talking with an assistant, saying, "Mental, Israeli dancing, isn't it? There's a real feeling of like, they're better than everybody else. Jewish." The assistant seems to respond, "That's why Holocaust." And Aurelius seems to fire back with, "I don't think I blame Hitler."
"The worst part had to be on the dance floor, in front of all of my guests," Claudia Gocman told ABC News. "That comment about Hitler."
"Obviously it was very upsetting at the time, and then devastating," she said. "And once you got over being upset, you're just really angry."
The Gocmans got married Aug. 19, 2012 at London's Central Synagogue.
Claudia, 27, works in fashion while Stan, 29, works for a major auditing firm. They hired Aurelius to film the event.
"The wedding day was absolutely perfect," Claudia Gocman said.
But when they received their video nine months later, she added, "It tarnished the day. I can't even watch it. It makes me angry."
The Gocmans said they immediately ran into problems with Aurelius. It took nine months for Aurelius to send the video to them of the first edit.
"We got six different discs, and they were all incorrect," Claudia Gocman said.
The Gocmans "finally got the correct edit and we weren't happy with it," she said.
So the couple paid for the cost of the hard drive to receive complete raw footage of their special day. The Gocmans, excited to finally relive their wedding day through video, said they instead got an earful of derogatory comments.
"To say we are disgusted, astounded and appalled is an understatement," Claudia Gocman wrote to Aurelius in an e-mail shown to ABC News.
"We strongly suggest that you re-watch every second of footage you sent us on that hard drive," she wrote. "I will let you enjoy watching the 'unattractive bride' and the 'Jews who think they are better than anyone else because they are from Israel.'"
Aurelius could not be reached for comment by ABC News, but apologized in both an e-mail and a handwritten note to Gocman.
"I am very sorry for our stupid, childish conversation," he wrote. "And I am very sorry we offended you. You just did not deserve this whatsoever."
Referring to his comment about Hitler, Aurelius said, "We know in truth very little about what went on in the war. … To be deeply honest I respect your strength as a culture from coming back from this."
So apparently he is a Holocaust denier too?
The guy had better find another line of work.
UPDATE - Oh boy, the guy also claims to be England's #1 Fitness Expert, from E News:
UPDATE - Oh boy, the guy also claims to be England's #1 Fitness Expert, from E News:
Aurelius claims he is the ‘UK’s No.1 fitness expert’ on the cover of a DVD he has released – and describes it as ‘The ENLIGHTENED warrior workout’.
His filming business ceased trading in August. He later apologized to the couple in a handwritten note saying: ‘I am very sorry for offending you and possibly your family also. You did not deserve this. I am ashamed, in honesty,’
He is known in the media for training celebrity/high-profile clients like Heather Mills. What do you think, the damage is pretty much done huh!
Find him on twitter here.
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