Rabbi Aryeh Spero, president of Conference of Jewish Affairs, stated today:
“Randi Weingarten, leader of the AFT (American Federation of Teachers union,) has made a malicious smear against the Jewish community that would normally be characterized as anti-Semitic, but may get a pass because she happens to be Jewish. She was asked a very appropriate question: ‘Why are the teachers across the nation in major cities still refusing to go back and teach children in the classroom in public schools?’ Instead of acknowledging the problem, she strangely shifted into a tirade against the Jewish community.
She castigated Jews by saying ‘American Jews are part of the ownership class…who now want to take that ladder of opportunity away from those who do not have it.’ She took legitimate criticism of her union’s refusal to go back to work as a way to demonize the Jewish community. Historically this was labeled ‘scapegoating.’ Scapegoating is the practice of dodging a legitimate concern by parlaying each issue against the Jewish people or the hard-work result of Jewish financial success and ownership.
Rabbi Spero concluded: “Ms. Weingarten is tragically another example of someone denouncing her own people and inciting others against Jews in order to be the darling of the Left, thereby climbing the ladder of political power. She understands that today power is achieved by those who scapegoat Jews. This has become a leftwing formula. The Conference of Jewish Affairs condemns her attitude and calls upon other organizations to do so as well.”
