LA pols made vile racist and antisemitic remarks. Here’s how Jews responded.
Jewish organizations and politicians have condemned antisemitic and racist remarks made by three city councilors. Audio of the conversation was leaked, leading to a scandal just weeks ahead of a municipal election in one of the United States’ largest cities. Photo by Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
By Adam Kovac October 12, 2022
The most jarring slurs made by three Los Angeles City Council members caught on tape involve the Black son of one of their white colleagues. The child is referred to as a monkey, and his father is accused of using him as a political prop.
The council members also crudely derided other groups, using ethnic stereotypes for Oaxacans, Armenians and Jews.
Jewish groups and politicians who were part of the outraged chorus calling for their ouster mostly made broad condemnations, including denouncing antisemitism along with other forms of bigotry rather than focusing on it specifically.
“There is no place for racism or bigotry of any kind in Los Angeles city government,” Jeffrey Abrams, the Anti-Defamation League’s regional director for Los Angeles, said on Twitter.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, for its part, tweeted: “We are appalled by the racist, antisemitic, and derisive remarks by members of our City Council.”
— Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles (@JFedLA) October 12, 2022
A slew of public officials, including President Joe Biden and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, have called for the three Council members to resign. Nury Martinez, who made the most blatant remarks surfaced so far about Jews, resigned Wednesday.
The tape, originally leaked on Reddit on Sunday, was then obtained by the Los Angeles Times and other news outlets. Martinez and Council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo can be heard discussing the city’s once-a-decade redistricting plan with Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, who says at one point, “I’m sure Katz and his crew have an agenda.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Herrera was referring to former State Rep. Richard Katz, who had served on a committee examining possible new electoral maps.
“The Judios cut their deal with South LA. They are gonna screw everybody else.” replied Martinez. “Judios” is a Spanish term for Jews. Though the area is predominantly Latino, it has a high concentration of Los Angeles’ Black population.
Herrera resigned after the recording’s release.
Local candidates running in the municipal elections slated for Nov. 8 have rushed to condemn the remarks, including the two Jewish Democrats running in District 5, which has a large Jewish population.
One of them, Katy Young Yaroslavsky, said in a press release that it has been a “dark week” for Los Angeles. She renounced endorsements she had from two of the recorded Council members, called for their resignations and said they “don’t reflect my values.”
“The recorded conversation brought to light the very worst from some of the most powerful people in our city,” she said.
Her opponent, Sam Yebri, also called for resignations, saying the future of Los Angeles cannot be built “on a foundation of hate.”
“We cannot tolerate policymakers who harbor — and make decisions based on — racist and homophobic views,” he said in a campaign email.
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