President Trump’s condemnation of anti-Semitism following his visit Tuesday to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is “too little, too late,” the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect said.
The New York-based center’s executive director, Steven Goldstein, said in a blistering statement that the president’s remarks at the museum were “a Band-Aid on the cancer of anti-Semitism that has infected his own administration.”
“Make no mistake: The anti-Semitism coming out of this administration is the worst we have ever seen from any administration,” Mr. Goldstein said. “The White House repeatedly refused to mention Jews in its Holocaust remembrance, and had the audacity to take offense when the world pointed out the ramifications of Holocaust denial. And it was only yesterday, President’s Day, that Jewish Community Centers across the nation received bomb threats, and the President said absolutely nothing.
.@POTUS @realDonaldTrump do not make us Jews settle for crumbs of condescension. What are you going to do about #Antsemitism in @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/95Z5GP1OBc
— AnneFrankCenter(US) (@AnneFrankCenter) February 21, 2017
“When President Trump responds to Antisemitism proactively and in real time, and without pleas and pressure, that’s when we’ll be able to say this president has turned a corner,” he added. “This is not that moment.”
Mr. Trump spent roughly an hour Tuesday walking through the Museum of African American History with his daughter Ivanka Trump. He later told reporters that he plans to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum “soon.”
“Very important for me,” he said about visiting the Holocaust Museum.
“The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil,” the president said in brief remarks after his tour.
His statement came amid pressure from Jewish groups to denounce anti-Semitism after a spate of threats targeting the community. The administration also came under fire last month for failing to specifically mention Jews in its statement recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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