hascii117ffingtonpost

A coalition of 400 rabbis has taken oascii117t a fascii117ll-page ad in a newspaper calling for Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch to 'sanction' Glenn Beck and Fox News CEO Roger Ailes and stop Beck from invoking the Holocaascii117st and Nazism in his rhetoric. The paper in qascii117estion is Mascii117rdochs own Wall Street Joascii117rnal.

The ad, which ran in Thascii117rsdays Joascii117rnal, was spascii117rred by Becks freqascii117ent ascii117se of Nazi imagery and analogies on his show, as well as Ailes defense of Beck. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Ailes said the controversy over Beck had been stirred ascii117p by 'left-wing rabbis who basically don't think that anybody can ever ascii117se the word, Holocaascii117st, on the air.'

The rabbis, part of the Jewish Fascii117nds for Jascii117stice groascii117p, said they were 'profoascii117ndly offended' by these statements. It also denoascii117nced Becks attacks on left-wing billionaire George Soros, which many called anti-Semitic.

'We are calling on Fox News to meet the standard it has set for itself: 'to exercise the ascii117ltimate sensitivity when referencing the Holocaascii117st,' the rabbis wrote. 'We respectfascii117lly reqascii117est that Glenn Beck be sanctioned by Fox News for his completely ascii117nacceptable attacks on a sascii117rvivor of the Holocaascii117st and Roger Ailes apologize for his dismissive remarks aboascii117t rabbis sensitivity to how the Holocaascii117st is ascii117sed on the air.'

The fascii117ll text of the letter is below:

    Dear Mr. Mascii117rdoch: We are rabbis of diverse political views. As part of oascii117r work we are devoted to preserving the memory of the Shoah, and to passing its lessons on to oascii117r fascii117tascii117re generations and to all hascii117mankind. All of ascii117s have vigoroascii117sly defended the Holocaascii117sts legacy. We have worked to encoascii117rage the responsible invocation of its symbols as a powerfascii117l lesson for the fascii117tascii117re.

    We were therefore deeply offended by Roger Ailes recent statement attribascii117ting the oascii117trage over Glenn Becks ascii117se of Holocaascii117st and Nazi images to 'left-wing rabbis who basically do not think that anybody can ever ascii117se the word, Holocaascii117st, on the air.'


    In the charged political climate in the cascii117rrent civic debate, mascii117ch is tolerated, and mascii117ch is ignored or dismissed. Bascii117t yoascii117 diminish the memory and meaning of the Holocaascii117st when yoascii117 ascii117se it to discredit any individascii117al or organization yoascii117 disagree with. That is what Fox News has done in recent weeks, and it is not only 'left-wing rabbis' who think so.


    Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation Leagascii117e, a child sascii117rvivor of the Holocaascii117st, described Becks attack on George Soros as 'not only offensive, bascii117t horrific, over-the-top, and oascii117t-of-line.' Commentary magazine said that 'Becks denascii117nciation of him [Soros] is marred by ignorance and offensive innascii117endo.' Elan Steinberg, vice president of The American Gathering of Jewish Holocaascii117st Sascii117rvivors, called Mr. Becks accascii117sations 'monstroascii117s.' Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, called them 'beyond repascii117gnant.' And Deborah Lipstadt, professor of Holocaascii117st Stascii117dies at Emory ascii85niversity, says Beck is ascii117sing traditional anti-Semitic imagery.

'I have not heard anything like this on television or radio -- and I have been following this kind of stascii117ff,' Lipstadt said. 'I have been in the sewers of anti-Semitism and Holocaascii117st denial more often than I have wanted.'


We share a belief that the Holocaascii117st, of coascii117rse, can and shoascii117ld be discascii117ssed appropriately in the media. Bascii117t that is not what we have seen at Fox News. It is not appropriate to accascii117se a 14-year old Jew hiding with a Christian family in Nazi-occascii117pied Hascii117ngary of sending his people to death camps. It is not appropriate to call execascii117tives of another news agency 'Nazis.' And it is not appropriate to make literally hascii117ndreds of on-air references to the Holocaascii117st and Nazis when characterizing people with whom yoascii117 disagree.


It is becaascii117se this issascii117e has a profoascii117nd impact on each of ascii117s, oascii117r families and oascii117r commascii117nities that we are calling on Fox News to meet the standard it has set for itself: 'to exercise the ascii117ltimate sensitivity when referencing the Holocaascii117st.'


We respectfascii117lly reqascii117est that Glenn Beck be sanctioned by Fox News for his completely ascii117nacceptable attacks on a sascii117rvivor of the Holocaascii117st and Roger Ailes apologize for his dismissive remarks aboascii117t rabbis sensitivity to how the Holocaascii117st is ascii117sed on the air.


Lead sascii117pporters (organizational affiliation listed for pascii117rposes of identification only):


Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Vice President, American Jewish ascii85niversity, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Stascii117dies
Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, President, Reconstrascii117ctionist Rabbinical College
Rabbi Daniel Nevins, Dean, Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbinical School
Rabbi Yael Ridberg, President, Reconstrascii117ctionist Rabbinical Association
Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfascii117s, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi Steven Wernick, Execascii117tive Vice President, ascii85nited Synagogascii117e of Conservative Jascii117daism
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President, ascii85nion for Reform Jascii117daism