The NY congresswoman said that the popular celebrity’s apology for her offensive comments about the Holocaust should be enough.
By World Israel News Staff
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said that Whoopi Goldberg’s suspension from ABC over her offensive comments about the Holocaust this week was “unnecessary” because she apologized, entertainment site TMZ reported.
‘The View’ host claimed that the Holocaust was “not about race” on last Sunday’s show, creating tension among the co-hosts and sparking major backlash on social media.
The comment came during a discussion among co-hosts about the decision by Tennessee schools to pull “Maus“ from its shelves, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust education book, authored by Art Spiegelman, who recounts the story of his parents’ survival.
“If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it,” Goldberg said. “Because the Holocaust isn’t about race. No, it’s not about race.”
“It’s about man’s inhumanity to man, that’s what it’s about,” Goldberg said — perhaps unaware that the Aryan “master race” was a major concept in Nazi ideology, resulting in the murder of six million Jews.
Among those who blasted Goldberg for her comments was Holocaust survivor Rosie Greenstein, the subject of the bestselling book “The Red Head of Auschwitz.”
“Shame on you,” Greenstein said in a video message to Goldberg.
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, invited Goldberg to visit and learn more about “the causes, events and aftermath of the Holocaust.”
Following the backlash all over social and traditional media, Goldberg apologized the next day.
“As Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti-Defamation League tweeted, ‘The Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systematic annihilation of the Jewish people — who they deemed to be an inferior race.’ I stand corrected,” she said.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt responded in a follow-up tweet that Goldberg has been a “long-time ally of the Jewish community” and that her apology “is very much welcome.”
According to Ocasio-Cortez, the incident was a “learning moment” for Goldberg and the suspension is unnecessary.
Referring to Greenblatt’s acceptance of the apology, AOC said, “I think we really kind of take the Jewish community’s lead on this and they seem to see that her apology was authentic and want to move on.”
“I think whenever there’s a learning moment like this, what’s super important is the relationship between that person and the community they’re making amends with,” she told TMZ.