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Jewish man finds swastika on shorts at Goodwill store

Swastika found on shorts
Jewish man finds swastika on shorts at Goodwill store 01:22

PASADENA, Calif. -- Vadim Kolosov, a Jewish man who is originally from Russia, was shopping at a Goodwill store in Pasadena when he came across the pair of shorts displaying a swastika, CBS Los Angeles reports.

Kosolov said he looked for a label, but that there was no brand name to be found -- just images of an eagle and swastika. 

"The fact that it was hanging there, it means that someone brought it," he told CBS Los Angeles. "It means that someone had the shorts in the first place. They donated them to the Goodwill. Someone at the Goodwill took them, cleaned them, labeled them." 

Kosolov says the swastika is a symbol that touches him on a deeply personal level. Both of his grandmothers' brothers died during the war, and his great-grandfather fought against the Nazis. 

Goodwill apologized for selling the shorts. In a statement, the organization said: "We receive about 7,000 items each day, so occasionally items slip through. We employ individuals with disabilities in our stores who may not have recognized that symbol."

Kosolov says Goodwill did the right thing by taking the shorts off the sales floor. His concern, however, continues to grow about the meaning of the symbol being taken too lightly. 

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