July 7, 2015
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has condemned twitter comments by Australian American football player Jarrod Hayne in which he blames the death of Jesus on the Jews.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“I am saddened and deeply concerned that still today there are high-profile figures who are spreading this discredited and noxious myth. Mr Hayne’s damaging, painful and irresponsible statement is not just historically wrong, but resuscitates the dangerous age-old anti-Semitic falsehood that the Jews are guilty of killing Jesus. For thousands of years Jews were held in contempt and were persecuted and murdered because they were labelled as Christ-killers. It’s a pity that Mr. Hayne is so ill-informed that he doesn’t know that in 1965 the Vatican rejected this charge and that Pope Benedict XVI in his book “Jesus of Nazareth” concludes that there is no basis to the notion that Jews are collectively responsible for the death of Jesus. I urge Mr Hayne to promptly issue a public apology, withdraw this hurtful and absurd tweet and make it clear to his fans that his divisive statement was not true. Rather than fuelling anti-Semitism, we need sportspeople to be powerful voices in countering racism and Jewish-hatred, especially when attacks against Jews worldwide are on the increase. The ADC is willing to work with Mr Hayne on a campaign that will promote tolerance and inclusiveness and to use this incident as an opportunity for dialogue, understanding and learning. This episode demonstrates that despite declarations and statements by the church, we have a tremendous amount of work to do in setting the record straight.
