On Wednesday, January 8, 2020, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and U.S. Congressman Max Rose (NY-11), wrote to the leadership of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS) to condemn a recent incident in which a guest speaker reportedly made anti-Semitic remarks comparing Jews to the Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust.

“There should be no place in our national discourse for hate-filled speech targeting any group,” wrote Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Congressman Max Rose (NY-11) in a letter to the Head of School and Principal. “As Jewish Members of Congress dedicated to combatting anti-Semitism, we would like to understand how such a speaker could be invited to address ECFS students, what steps the school has taken to hold those responsible accountable, how the school has communicated to students and parents that such rhetoric is unacceptable, and how ECFS will implement processes to prevent future incidents.”

With anti-Semitic incidents increasing 53% this year alone, and a huge spike in hate-crime incidents in K-12 schools over the past few years, Gottheimer and Rose have continued to call for action against anti-Semitism and bigotry as members of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism.

The letter continues, “By drawing comparisons between the Holocaust and the State of Israel, these statements misrepresent current events while devaluing the horrors of the attempt to eliminate European Jewry.”  

Read the letter HERE.

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