The Rabbinical Council of America, an organization of orthodox rabbis, on Wednesday condemned to President Trump’s multiple comments that equated white supremacists with anti-racism protesters in Charlottesville over the weekend.
In a statement, the council wrote that it “condemns any suggestion of moral equivalency between the White Supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville and those who stood up to their repugnant messages and actions.” RCA president Rabbi Elazar Muskin wrote, “Failure to unequivocally reject hatred and bias is a failing of moral leadership and fans the flames of intolerance and chauvinism. While as a rabbinic organization we prefer to address issues and not personalities, this situation rises above partisan politics and therefore we are taking the unusual approach to directly comment on the words of the President.”
Saturday’s rally was organized by white nationalist Jason Kessler and featured some participants marching with Nazi flags and shouting racist phrases about Jews. One woman was killed and at least 19 injured when a suspected white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd of anti-racism counter protesters.
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