Jewish group releases list of top ten slurs of 2010
Simon Wiesenthal Center puts Helen Thomas in 1st place, Oliver Stone, Mahatir Mohammad, and Rick Sanchez among others on list.
By GIL STERN STERN SHEFLERhelen thomas 311(photo credit: Rabbi David F. Nesenoff)
A Jewish group has released a list of “top ten anti-Semitic slurs of 2010.”The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Friday released a list of anti-Semitic quotes made over the past year which it compiled in pecking order.RELATED:UK chief rabbi: Universities failing in anti-Semitism fight'I see no future for Jews in the Netherlands''The word "anti-Semitism" has been overused and abused'Top of the list was Helen Thomas, the 90-year-old journalist who retired earlier this year after she told a rabbi at a White House reception that “Jews should get the hell out of Palestine.”“They should go home to Poland, Germany, America and everywhere else,” she told him.Director Oliver Stone came second with his remark on the alleged misportrayal of Hitler’s role in history.“Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and it’s been used cheaply,” said the director in January. “He’s the product of a series of actions. It’s cause and effect.”Other personalities named by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in its list include former Malaysian Premier Mahatir Mohammad; Al-Mutawakil Taha, Deputy Minister of Information for the Palestinian Authority, and Rick Sanchez, former CNN correspondent.According to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the list illustrates a rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric which it says is becoming increasingly prevalent. “Never before, in recent memory, has the Simon Wiesenthal Center seen such a proliferation of anti-Semitism going mainstream,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Center adding that “Our list of top ten anti-Semitic slurs runs the gamut of well-known personalities including journalists, government officials, celebrities, a prominent film director, and academics.”
Making anti-Semitic remarks in 2010, however, is not without repercussions. Thomas retired following her slur, Sanchez lost his job and Stone had to apologize to the Anti-Defamation League twice, which accepted his apology on both occasions.
