Letter | No, American Jewish Congress did not hire a white nationalist

Gavin Wax Image by Facebook/Gavin Wax

By Jack Rosen August 17, 2020

Dear Editor,

Your recent article concerning a former employee of the American Jewish Congress is highly misleading and grossly misrepresentative of the facts.

While it appears that an individual with radical, far-right views was briefly employed at the American Jewish Congress, we were unaware of his beliefs until after his departure. Your article unfairly implies otherwise.

The individual was not our “Marketing Director,” as your article states. No such position exists at the American Jewish Congress, and we informed your reporter as such. Nonetheless, this misrepresentation was included in the story in an attempt to elevate this individual and to sensationalize the story. The individual worked in a low-level, technical capacity, and his termination was performance-related, not related to discovery of his unacceptable political views.

The insinuation that we knew the individual was a far-right activist is completely absurd. The American Jewish Congress has a long and proud history promoting racial equality and social justice. The Forward is well-aware that we were founded more than a century ago by great leaders such as Albert Einstein, former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, and U.S. Supreme Court Justices Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter as a national democratic organization dedicated to equal rights for all Americans. We remain so committed.

Far-right activists also have a long tradition of infiltrating groups and organizations they oppose to undermine their mission and attempt to humiliate them. The Forward should not act as their handmaiden.

Sincerely,

Jack Rosen
President
American Jewish Congress

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward. Discover more perspectives in Opinion. To contact Opinion authors, email [email protected].

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