Whoopi Goldberg was suspended for 2 weeks Tuesday as co-host of “The View" because of what the head of ABC News called her “wrong and hurtful comments" about Jews and the Holocaust.
“Whereas Whoopi has apologized, I’ve {asked} her to take time to mirror and study in regards to the influence of her feedback. The complete ABC News group stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, pals, household and communities," ABC News President Kim Godwin said in a statement.
The suspension came a day after Goldberg’s comment during a discussion on “The View" that race was not an element within the Holocaust. Goldberg apologized hours later and once more on Tuesday’s morning episode, however the unique comment drew condemnation from a number of distinguished Jewish leaders.
“My phrases upset so many individuals, which was by no means my intention," she said Tuesday morning. “I understand why now and for that I am deeply, deeply grateful because the information I got was really helpful and helped me understand some different things."
Goldberg made her unique feedback throughout a dialogue on the present Monday a couple of Tennessee college board’s banning of “Maus," a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Nazi death camps during World War II. She said the Holocaust was “not about race … it’s about man’s inhumanity to other man."
“I misspoke," Goldberg said at the opening of Tuesday’s show.
The flare-up over Goldberg’s remarks this week highlighted the enduring complexity of some race-related issues, including the widespread but strongly contested notion that only people of color can be victims of racism.
“Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments," Godwin mentioned in her assertion.
“The View" brought on Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League and author of “It Could Happen Here," on Tuesday to debate why her phrases had been hurtful.
“Jewish folks in the intervening time are feeling besieged," Greenblatt said.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, praised Goldberg for being outspoken over the years on social issues but said he struggled to understand her statement on the Holocaust.
“The only explanation that I have for it is that there is a new definition of racism that has been put out there in the public recently that defines racism exclusively as the targeting of people of color. And obviously history teaches us otherwise," Cooper mentioned.
“All the pieces about Nazi Germany and in regards to the focusing on of the Jews and in regards to the Holocaust was about race and racism. That’s the unlucky, unassailable historic truth," he said.
Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, linked Goldberg’s remarks to broader misconceptions of the Holocaust, Jewish identity and antisemitism. “In her error, she was reflecting a misunderstanding of Jewish identity that is both widespread and dangerous that is sometimes described as erasive antisemitism," mentioned Marcus, who's the creator of ‘The Definition of Anti-Semitism.’
“It's the notion that Jews must be seen solely as being white, privileged oppressors," he said. “It denies Jewish identity and involves a whitewashing of Jewish history."
Marcus referred to the usage of anti-Jewish stereotypes “about being highly effective, controlling and sinister," coupled with downplaying or denying antisemitism.
In Israel, being Jewish is rarely seen in racial terms, in part because of the country’s great diversity. Yet Jewish identity goes far beyond religion. Israelis typically refer to the “Jewish people" or “Jewish nation," describing a group or civilization bound together by a shared history, culture, language and traditions and deep ties to Jewish communities overseas.
On “The View" Monday, Goldberg, who's Black, had expressed shock that some Tennessee college board members had been uncomfortable about nudity in “Maus."
“I mean, it’s about the Holocaust, the killing of 6 million people, but that didn’t bother you?" she mentioned. “Should you’re going to do that, then let’s be truthful about it. As a result of the Holocaust isn’t about race. No, it’s not about race."
She continued on that line despite pushback from some of her fellow panelists.
The U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington responded to Goldberg with a tweet.
“Racism was central to Nazi ideology. Jews were not defined by religion, but by race. Nazi racist beliefs fueled genocide and mass murder," it mentioned.
That tweet additionally included a link to the museum’s on-line encyclopedia, which mentioned the Nazis attributed unfavourable stereotypes about Jews to a biologically decided racial heritage.
On Twitter, there have been a number of requires Goldberg’s firing, the place it appeared caught up within the acquainted debates between left and proper.
Greenblatt mentioned the discuss present, out there for a brand new co-host following final summer season’s departure of Meghan McCain, ought to think about hiring a Jewish lady to maintain the difficulty of antisemitism within the forefront.
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