Moran’s Talk of Jewish Control is “Stunning”
Listed in: Other Domestic Policy, NJDC News, Press Releases
Washington, DC: According to a March 5th article published by The Connection Newspapers of northern Virginia, Congressman James Moran (D-VA) - speaking in Reston, Virginia on Monday night - "...blasted the Bush administration for its rush to war but saved some of his harshest criticism for Jewish leaders in the United States. 'If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq we would not be doing this,' he said. 'The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going and I think they should.'"
"It is simply stunning to hear Representative Moran make such accusations," said National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director Ira N. Forman. "We can only hope that in making these statements, the Congressman is unaware of the long and tragic history of demagogic leaders who have singled out Jewish communities around the world as being responsible for various unpopular policies. Historically, such accusations have - wittingly or unwittingly - fed the paranoia of the worst anti-Semitic elements in societies, often with very tragic consequences.
"Representative Moran's statements are also unfortunate because they get the facts wrong. First, a number of the current leaders of the anti-war movement are Jewish, as they have been throughout modern American history. Furthermore, recent surveys have shown that public opinion about the war within the Jewish community is not dramatically different than the opinion among the general population. Moreover, Jewish organizations have clearly not been at the forefront among those groups actively and stridently supporting a war in Iraq.
"We are saddened that Representative Moran has chosen his words so poorly, and we sincerely hope he will reconsider them," Forman added.
