NJDC Joins with NY Dems in Denouncing Barron

NJDC — June 12, 2012 – 1:15 pm | Comments (0) Add a comment

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) agrees wholeheartedly with recent statements made by a group of New York City Democrats led by City Councilmember David Greenfield against the deeply disturbing record of House candidate Charles Barron. The group of Democrats rallying against Baron included Representative Jerrold Nadler, former Mayor and Representative Ed Koch, New York Assembly members Helene Weinstein, Dov Hikind and Steven Cymbrowitz, and City Council member Michael Nelson.

According to JTA:

Ex-Mayor Ed Koch, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), City Councilman David Greenfield and state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, among others, gathered in front of the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in downtown Battery Park at a news conference Monday to call Barron, a Brooklyn Democrat, an ‘enemy of the State of Israel’ and the New York Jewish community….

The politicians at Battery Park expressed support for Jeffries and called Barron an ‘anti-Semite,’ ‘hateful’ and a ‘bigot.’

Barron has compared the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians to the Nazi treatment of Jews during World War II. He also has publicly praised foreign dictators such as the late Muammar Gadhafi of Libya and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

‘To compare Israel to Nazis, calling what Israel’s doing genocide? Israel’s trying to survive in a tough neighborhood,’ Nadler said during the news conference, according to Politicker. The longtime congressman added that Israel is ‘not doing anything like Nazis. To even put them in the same universe is a disgrace to the English language.’

Nadler said Barron’s election to Congress, ‘to some extent would legitimize this kind of anti-Semitic discourse, and we don’t need that.’

Chester Soria of WNYC wrote:

Greenfield said that he invited his fellow leaders to alert voters about Barron’s inflammatory rhetoric about Israel, including having called it ‘the biggest terrorist in the world’ and comparing it to Nazi Germany. They also attacked Barron’s defense of ousted Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and embattled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Before the event, Greenfield not only attacked Barron on his record in City Council, but also called him ‘the David Duke of New York City.’ Greenfield, who serves in the council with Barron, said that a win by the East New York candidate would set back racial relations in Brooklyn.

‘In Crown Heights, those of us in the Jewish and African American community have worked very hard to work together,’ Greenfield said before the event. ‘To have someone like Charles Barron out there is quite frankly dangerous…’

Congressman Nadler said that while all voters have the same concerns, Barron’s comments on Israel have created questions about his character.

‘Anyone who represents this neighborhood has to be concerned with those kinds of issues, but that’s assuming that Mr. Barron is sincerely concerned with housing conditions,’ Nadler said after the event. ‘That doesn’t excuse demagoguery, racism and anti-Semitism.’

As noted, Barron has a long history of making anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist, and otherwise offensive statements against Jews and other groups.

We commend those who spoke out yesterday—regardless of any past differences—and we stand with those who stand against Charles Barron’s deeply disturbing and historically anti-Israel views.

Watch the video of the event here or below. 

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