The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in The New York Times, about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's troubling statements that caused a great deal of concern and consternation in the Jewish community:
February 2, 2023
To the Editor:
To the Editor:
Re “Speaker’s Union With Firebrand May Shape G.O.P.” (front page, Jan. 23):
Political alliances often stem from political expediency, as appears to be the case with Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
In his quest to win the privilege of wielding the speaker’s gavel, Mr. McCarthy brokered agreements with several far-right members of Congress, including Ms. Greene. While doing so is certainly his prerogative, rather than unconditionally empowering Ms. Greene to the extent that he has, I would have liked to see the speaker insist on renunciations of her past antisemitic remarks and behavior.
Likening President Biden to Adolf Hitler, making Holocaust analogies about mask mandates and espousing antisemitic tropes, including her claim that a Jewish banking family may have used space lasers to start a California wildfire, are some of the things that have caused great concern and consternation in the Jewish community.
At a time of rising antisemitism, we know that such statements beget greater bigotry. Before Mr. McCarthy further emboldens Ms. Greene and grants her an even more prominent platform in the halls of Congress, his insistence on a public disavowal of her disturbing diatribes would certainly be appropriate.
N. Aaron Troodler
Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
