Ilhan Omar, Corbyn slammed by Jews for remarks on Holocaust Remembrance Day

Both Ilhan Omar and Jeremy Corbyn tweeted in support of Holocaust Remembrance Day, immediately drawing criticism from Jewish organizations.

FEBRUARY 7, 2020 14:40

Rep. Ilhan Omar has made wearing a headscarf seem fashionable, chic and powerful. (photo credit: TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL) — Rep. Ilhan Omar has made wearing a headscarf seem fashionable, chic and powerful.

(photo credit: TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL)

Democratic representative Ilhan Omar and UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn have both been slammed by Jews after they tweeted in support of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we mourn the lives of 6 million Jews who were systematically murdered," Omar tweeted Monday morning, adding "Today and every day, we must redouble our efforts to confront anti-Semitism and all forms of religious discrimination and say #NeverAgain."

Monday marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where more than a million Jews were murdered at the hands of the Nazis. Nonetheless, the tweet was not welcomed by Jewish people.

"How dare you defame memory of the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust!" tweeted international human rights attorney Arsen Ostrovsky.

"Your Antisemitism, however you cloak it, knows no bounds. Barely one year ago, you tried to pass boycott law comparing Israel to Nazi Germany & now you seek destruction of Jewish state! Have you no shame?," he added.

Campaign group Stop Antisemitism was quick to pick up on Omar's tweet, replying "How many antisemitic resolutions have you signed onto into the House? We don’t need your empty words," along with an emoji snake.

How many antisemitic resolutions have you signed onto into the House? We don’t need your empty words.
— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) January 27, 2020

Earlier this month the organization named Omar 2019's biggest antisemite of the year, for, among other things, accusing Israel of having hypnotized the world and submitting a resolution in the House of Representatives comparing boycotting Israel to boycotting the Nazis.

Omar was not the only left wing politician to draw the ire of Ostrovsky. Jeremy Corbyn also released a statement on Twitter on Monday, in which he said that Holocaust Memorial Day was "a time for us all to reflect on the horrors of the past, the evils of Nazism, genocide and antisemitism, and indeed all forms of racism, which we must always be determined to root out, wherever they appear."

Today we mark Holocaust Memorial Day.This is a time for us all to reflect on the horrors of the past, the evils of Nazism, genocide and antisemitism, and indeed all forms of racism, which we must always be determined to root out, wherever they appear.#HMD2020 pic.twitter.com/BEkw1gKf7R
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 27, 2020

Ostrovsky shot back: "Instead of again defaming the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered in the #Holocaust, you might use #HolocaustMemorialDay to reflect on your own actions, including fanning flames of Antisemitism, sharing platforms with Holocaust deniers & calling Hamas / Hezbollah ‘friends’?"

Corbyn's statement was a transcript of comments he made in the British Parliament on Thursday on Holocaust Memorial Day. His speech was denounced by the Campaign Against Antisemitism as "insulting to the Jewish community."

"The remarks were particularly audacious, given that Mr Corbyn has spent his time in office cultivating antisemitism in the Labour Party — quite the opposite of working to 'root it out wherever it appears,'” the campaign group added in a statement on its website.