Tuesday, June 4, 2024
For immediate release
Contact: William Epstein, 610-505-6105
The Board of Directors of Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania (DJOP) today
called for the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) to “to remove the word ‘Jewish’ from
its name” because it jumped to defend felon Donald Trump after he claimed that his
conviction Thursday was due to “a Soros-backed D.A.”
Jill Zipin, Chair of DJOP, said Trump’s reference to financier George Soros was
antisemitic, as there is no evidence that Soros played a role in the District Attorney’s
successful case against Trump.
“Trump’s repeated attempt to place Soros at the center of his legal problems, paired
with his complete refusal to repudiate his MAGA supporters who advocate violence
against the judge and jury members in his case, is shameful and dangerous,” Zipin said.
“The people who make decisions for the RJC know that in far-right circles worldwide,
Soros’ philanthropy often is used as fodder for fictional conspiracy theories, including
claims that he masterminds global plots or manipulates events to further his goals.
“Many of those conspiracy theories employ longstanding antisemitic myths about how
rich and powerful Jews work behind the scenes, plotting to control countries and
manipulate global events.
“George Soros is a Holocaust survivor. The staff and members of the RJC should know
that words can lead to violence. We have seen too many tragic examples of violence
against Jewish and Black people and institutions.
“If the RJC wants to support a felon who refuses to discourage violence and threats of
violence by his MAGA supporters, it should change its name and not make believe that
the organization lives by Jewish values. Because it doesn’t.”
