Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Michele Bachmann Apologizes For ‘Ignorantly’ Suggesting Jews Convert

Former U.S. presidential candidate Michele Bachmann apologized for her prior efforts to convince Jews they should convert to Christianity, the Times of Israel reported.

Bachmann’s expression of regret came on Sunday while she spoke at a Knesset Jewish-Christian Bible study in Jerusalem. She referred to her words as “ignorant.” She declined to acknowledge specifically what comments she was apologizing for.

Bachmann, a Republican from Minnesota who ran for the presidential nomination in 2012, also reportedly asked forgiveness for the “horrible and, yes, I would say, the arrogant way that Christians — I would include myself among them — have treated and regarded the Jewish people.”

Following a visit to Israel in 2015, Bachmann told right-wing radio station Washington Watch that violence in the middle east signaled the return of Jesus, warranting mass conversions.

“My statement [of apology] stands for itself,” the former congresswoman allegedly told reporters when asked whether her apology was in reference to the 2015 remark.

Many of the Christian participants of the Bible study were in Israel to attend Monday’s ceremony commemorating the U.S. Embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Contact Haley Cohen at [email protected]

A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren

We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.

With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.

—  Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief 

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.