B’nai B’rith Urges Dismissal of Marc Lamont Hill Over Call to Erase Israel
(Washington, D.C., Nov. 28, 2018)–B’nai B’rith International calls for the immediate dismissal of CNN commentator and Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill over explicitly anti-Semitic statements he has made as featured speaker at the primary United Nations event marking the body’s yearly International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Coming in the aftermath of CNN’s release of a survey showing the persistence of global anti-Semitism—whose most lethal strain is now the demonization and delegitimization of the world’s only Jewish state—Hill endorsed the anti-Jewish discrimination of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and justified all forms of Palestinian “resistance,” which largely refers to terrorism against Israeli civilians. Most shockingly, he echoed the jihadist aspiration of erasing Israel completely, asserting that justice requires “a free Palestine from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea.”
Ironically, today’s Palestinian solidarity event marks the day in 1947 on which the U.N. General Assembly endorsed the right of Jews to a homeland in Israel—a right that continues to be rejected by Middle East extremists.
Hill has regularly engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric at events hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a radical activist group that has advocated the destruction of Israel. SJP actively promotes support for terrorists, including Rasmea Odeh, who participated in a grocery store bombing that killed two students in Israel, and Ahmed Manasara, who indiscriminately stabbed Israeli civilians on a street in Jerusalem and told police officers he “went there to stab Jews.”
Hill has also been an open proponent of the BDS campaign, whose founding was motivated by a desire to isolate, harm and ultimately eradicate Israel by promoting economic warfare against it.
Additionally, he has had a longstanding relationship with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a foremost purveyor of modern anti-Semitism, who has called Judaism a “gutter religion” and Jews “satanic.” In 2016, Hill posted online a picture of himself smiling with Farrakhan, adding the caption, “Been blessed to spend the last day with Minister Louis Farrakhan. An amazing time of learning, listening, laughing, and even head nodding to music. God is Great.” Last month, when challenged on his association with Farrakhan after the latter compared Jews to termites, Hill tweeted: “Although I disagree with the Minister on those important issues, I will not allow that to be an excuse for allowing dishonest media or poorly intentioned observers to create unnecessary division. I will not be told who to speak to, sit with, or engage.”
Hill’s continued career at CNN, and as a professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University in Philadelphia, is especially ironic in light of the network’s recent survey highlighting widespread anti-Semitism in Europe. The poll revealed that many Europeans continue to believe in anti-Semitic tropes. Over a quarter of those surveyed said they think Jews have too much influence in business and finance. Nearly one in four said that Jews have too much involvement in armed conflicts and wars worldwide. The survey also revealed a troubling lack of knowledge surrounding the events of the Holocaust. Although the Nazi genocide resulted in the murder of six million Jews on European soil, a third of the survey’s respondents said they knew little or nothing about the Holocaust. Nearly a third blamed Israel’s actions for anti-Semitism in their countries, and 18% blamed the behavior of Jews in general.
It is intolerable that Hill, who describes himself as “one of the leading intellectual voices in the country,” has enjoyed important platforms to spread his bigoted views. His association with anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic groups and figures prevents him from speaking with any moral authority on peace and justice, particularly to a global television audience and to students. He must be swiftly repudiated and replaced by CNN and by Temple University.
B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org
