Anti-Semitic Voicemail Left For Washington U. Librarian

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — An anti-Semitic voicemail message was left for a librarian at Washington University in St. Louis after the librarian helped organize an exhibit on the Holocaust at a local museum.
The Huffington Post first reported the anti-Semitic incident on Friday, though it occurred on March 15. The librarian, who declined to be named, notified the Huffington Post of the incident through its “Documenting Hate” project in conjunction with the ProPublica nonprofit news organization dedicated to investigative journalism.
A university spokeswoman told Huffington Post that the university alerted local and federal authorities, as well as Jewish organizations of the incident.
According to a transcript of the profanity-laced call published by Huffington Post, the caller questioned why the facts of the Holocaust are not “open for debate” and asked “why in many nations in Europe it’s outlawed to even discuss it? If it were the truth then it wouldn’t need laws to support it. ”
The caller also said: ”We need to get these Holocaust studies stopped because they’re … lies, just like Jews ran the slave trade. You said whites ran it but you’re not white, and Jews aren’t white, and you ran the slave trade.”
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
