Ex-Congressman Says Parkland Students ‘Need A Belief In Jesus Christ’
Image by Getty Images
By Josh Nathan-Kazis March 2, 2018
Former Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz told Fox News that the survivors of the Parkland, Florida school shooting “need a belief in God, in Jesus Christ.”
Parkland is in a heavily Jewish part of Florida, and many of the victims and their classmates are Jewish. Media Matters highlighted the clip, which was part of a conversation about the funeral of evangelical leader Billy Graham.
Chaffetz, who was born Jewish but converted to Mormonism in college, said on Fox News that he believed that a belief in Jesus Christ “would help” the students returning to Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks after the shooting.
The massacre at Stoneman Douglas killed 17 people, many of them students, and has set off a new wave of calls for gun control. Chaffetz had an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, and the endorsement of its associated political action committee in his last election.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
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.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
