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Jewish Groups Blast Moran for Comments
By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 10, 2003; 3:22 PM
Jewish organizations condemned Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) today for delivering what they said were anti-Semitic remarks at an anti-war forum in Reston, in which he suggested that American Jews are responsible for pushing the country to war with Iraq and that Jewish leaders could prevent war if they wanted.
At the Reston forum, attended by about 120 people at St. Anne's Episcopal Church last Monday, Moran discussed why he thought anti-war sentiment was not more effective in the United States.
"If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq we would not be doing this," Moran said, in comments first reported by the Reston Connection and confirmed by Moran. "The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going and I think they should."
Moran, a seven-term incumbent representing Alexandria, Arlington County and part of Fairfax County, apologized for his statement.
"By no means did I intend or believe that members of the Jewish community are united in their support for a possible war with Iraq," Moran said in a Friday letter to the Jewish Community Council of the Washington area that was made public this morning. "And I certainly never meant, nor do I believe, to imply that the Jewish community is responsible for or should be blamed for this war."
Moran said he was trying to make a larger point about the views of different religious communities on a possible war. He said he answered the way he did because his questioner identified herself as Jewish, "and I regret doing that. ... I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone whom I unintentionally offended with my insensitive comments."
Moran has labored to emerge from a string of personal financial problems and ethics controversies over his acceptance of loans from parties with interests before him. Jewish activists said the episode threatened to make Moran the Democratic Party's Trent Lott, referring to the former Senate majority leader from Mississippi who was deposed this winter for saying that the country would have been better off electing a segregationist for president in 1948.
Moran's relationship with pro-Israel organizations and American Jewish leaders has steadily worsened in recent years over his pro-Palestinian stands in the Middle East conflict, interpretation of Israeli history and acceptance of campaign cash from individuals sympathetic to the terrorist organization Hamas or under investigation for terrorist ties.
Ronald Halber, executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Washington, which represents 210 organizations, called Moran's statement "reprehensible and anti-Semitic," while David Bernstein, spokesman for the American Jewish Committee said his statement was "anti-Semitic in effect if not in intent."
Rabbi Jack Moline, head of the conservative Agudas Achim Congregation of Alexandria, said Moran's remarks echoed a history of "the most scandalous rhetoric of the last century" singling out Jewish influence and blaming it for foreign policy.
"We believe that such remarks about any minority group in America, whether African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims or others, are beyond inappropriate in the rhetoric of a member of Congress," Moline wrote with the rabbis of five other congregations in demanding Moran's immediate resignation.
"A world-class congressional district calls for a world-class congressman. When we have to be constantly embarrassed in the way we are ... it's time to think about a change," Moline, one of Moran's earliest and staunchest defenders in the local Jewish community, said in an interview.
Sophie R. Hoffman, president of the Jewish council, said Moran's apology was inadequate, and added that polls show that the opinion of American Jews about the war are not far out of line from attitudes by the rest of the public, and that some strong anti-war voices are Jewish.
"In a recognizable pattern, when Moran realized just how outrageous his remarks were, he attempted to back pedal, saying he didn't mean what he clearly said," Hoffman said. "This time it just won't work."
State Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax), an 11-year incumbent from Reston, said Moran's remarks were "inexcusable and intolerable."
"For the congressman to scapegoat and blame the Jewish community for the impending war is intolerable. Whether we suport or oppose the war, we must respect all religious communities," Howell said. "There is no question that responsible Democratic leaders should distance themselves from him."
Fairfax County Chairwoman Katherine K. Hanley (D) said, "If he said what he's reported to have said, I think it's indefensible."
In an interview today, Moran again apologized, saying he regretted singling out American Jewish leaders among the nation's three major communities of faith ? Jewish, Christian and Muslim ? for two reasons.
"One is that some of the most compelling spokesmen against the war happen to be Jewish, and number two, it clearly is the smallest of the three major communities of faith in America," Moran said.
"If among any one of the major communities of faith in this country there was an organized consensus against the war, I don't think we would be going to war," added Moran, who is Catholic. "If she had identified herself as a Catholic, I would have said the same thing."
Moran said he supports Israel's right to exist and security and denied being anti-Semitic.
"I know in my heart that I am anything but anti-Semitic," Moran said, adding that his daughter, Mary Elise, is marrying a Jewish man and converting to Judaism, with her 9-year-old son. "One wishes I could learn to hold my tongue and to express myself in a much larger context so I would be able to communicate what I really want to say ... Nobody could berate me more than I do when I see my words in print compared to what I intended to say."
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
Jewish Groups Blast Moran for Comments
By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 10, 2003; 3:22 PM
Jewish organizations condemned Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) today for delivering what they said were anti-Semitic remarks at an anti-war forum in Reston, in which he suggested that American Jews are responsible for pushing the country to war with Iraq and that Jewish leaders could prevent war if they wanted.
At the Reston forum, attended by about 120 people at St. Anne's Episcopal Church last Monday, Moran discussed why he thought anti-war sentiment was not more effective in the United States.
"If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq we would not be doing this," Moran said, in comments first reported by the Reston Connection and confirmed by Moran. "The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going and I think they should."
Moran, a seven-term incumbent representing Alexandria, Arlington County and part of Fairfax County, apologized for his statement.
"By no means did I intend or believe that members of the Jewish community are united in their support for a possible war with Iraq," Moran said in a Friday letter to the Jewish Community Council of the Washington area that was made public this morning. "And I certainly never meant, nor do I believe, to imply that the Jewish community is responsible for or should be blamed for this war."
Moran said he was trying to make a larger point about the views of different religious communities on a possible war. He said he answered the way he did because his questioner identified herself as Jewish, "and I regret doing that. ... I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone whom I unintentionally offended with my insensitive comments."
Moran has labored to emerge from a string of personal financial problems and ethics controversies over his acceptance of loans from parties with interests before him. Jewish activists said the episode threatened to make Moran the Democratic Party's Trent Lott, referring to the former Senate majority leader from Mississippi who was deposed this winter for saying that the country would have been better off electing a segregationist for president in 1948.
Moran's relationship with pro-Israel organizations and American Jewish leaders has steadily worsened in recent years over his pro-Palestinian stands in the Middle East conflict, interpretation of Israeli history and acceptance of campaign cash from individuals sympathetic to the terrorist organization Hamas or under investigation for terrorist ties.
Ronald Halber, executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Washington, which represents 210 organizations, called Moran's statement "reprehensible and anti-Semitic," while David Bernstein, spokesman for the American Jewish Committee said his statement was "anti-Semitic in effect if not in intent."
Rabbi Jack Moline, head of the conservative Agudas Achim Congregation of Alexandria, said Moran's remarks echoed a history of "the most scandalous rhetoric of the last century" singling out Jewish influence and blaming it for foreign policy.
"We believe that such remarks about any minority group in America, whether African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims or others, are beyond inappropriate in the rhetoric of a member of Congress," Moline wrote with the rabbis of five other congregations in demanding Moran's immediate resignation.
"A world-class congressional district calls for a world-class congressman. When we have to be constantly embarrassed in the way we are ... it's time to think about a change," Moline, one of Moran's earliest and staunchest defenders in the local Jewish community, said in an interview.
Sophie R. Hoffman, president of the Jewish council, said Moran's apology was inadequate, and added that polls show that the opinion of American Jews about the war are not far out of line from attitudes by the rest of the public, and that some strong anti-war voices are Jewish.
"In a recognizable pattern, when Moran realized just how outrageous his remarks were, he attempted to back pedal, saying he didn't mean what he clearly said," Hoffman said. "This time it just won't work."
State Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax), an 11-year incumbent from Reston, said Moran's remarks were "inexcusable and intolerable."
"For the congressman to scapegoat and blame the Jewish community for the impending war is intolerable. Whether we suport or oppose the war, we must respect all religious communities," Howell said. "There is no question that responsible Democratic leaders should distance themselves from him."
Fairfax County Chairwoman Katherine K. Hanley (D) said, "If he said what he's reported to have said, I think it's indefensible."
In an interview today, Moran again apologized, saying he regretted singling out American Jewish leaders among the nation's three major communities of faith ? Jewish, Christian and Muslim ? for two reasons.
"One is that some of the most compelling spokesmen against the war happen to be Jewish, and number two, it clearly is the smallest of the three major communities of faith in America," Moran said.
"If among any one of the major communities of faith in this country there was an organized consensus against the war, I don't think we would be going to war," added Moran, who is Catholic. "If she had identified herself as a Catholic, I would have said the same thing."
Moran said he supports Israel's right to exist and security and denied being anti-Semitic.
"I know in my heart that I am anything but anti-Semitic," Moran said, adding that his daughter, Mary Elise, is marrying a Jewish man and converting to Judaism, with her 9-year-old son. "One wishes I could learn to hold my tongue and to express myself in a much larger context so I would be able to communicate what I really want to say ... Nobody could berate me more than I do when I see my words in print compared to what I intended to say."
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
