GitHub issues apology for firing of Jewish worker
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By David Ian Klein January 19, 2021
The head of human resources at GitHub, a software developing host owned by Microsoft, has stepped down after a Jewish worker was fired from the company’s Washington D.C. office for warning colleagues that “Nazis are about” during the January 6 raid on the U.S. Capitol building.
Following the firing, the employee received an outpouring of support from colleagues who protested the termination.
“Our head of HR has taken personal accountability and resigned from GitHub,” Github’s COO Erica Brescia wrote in an official blog post on Sunday.
According to Brescia, the company conducted an internal investigation which “revealed significant errors of judgment and procedure.”
“In light of these findings, we immediately reversed the decision to separate with the employee and are in communication with his representative,” she wrote. “To the employee, we wish to say publicly: we sincerely apologize.”
In her post, Brescia also acknowledged the validity of the employee’s concern. “GitHub condemns the attack on the US Capitol on January 6th and any and all belief systems that are discriminatory,” the company stated. “Antisemitism, neo-Nazis, and white supremacy — along with all other forms of racism — are vile and have no place in our community.”
“Employees are free to express concerns about Nazis, antisemitism, white supremacy or any other form of discrimination or harassment in internal discussions,” they added.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
