Jew walks next to synagogue
Jew walks next to synagogueFlash 90

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the statement by Representative John Conyers (D-MI) strongly denouncing Minister Louis Farrakhan’s remarks during a meeting with Detroit City Council members and local clergy last week as “unacceptable, racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic.” 

ADL expressed appreciation for the Rep. Conyers’  response in condemning Farrakhan’s statements and echoed the sentiment that his words “have no place in civilized discourse.”

“As one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus and as the recognized Dean of the Caucus, your words have special resonance,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, in a letter to Rep. Conyers.  “Your public outreach exemplifies the notion that what hurts one of us, offends all of us, and helps empower Americans to stand up against injustice and for equality for all.”

During his speech to the congregation at The Fellowship Chapel in Detroit, Minister Farrakhan spewed hateful anti-Semitic invective, referring to “Satanic Jews” and the “Synagogue of Satan” supposedly controlling major institutions and added that President Obama “surrounded himself with Satan...members of the Jewish community.”

As the longtime leader of the Nation of Islam, Minister Farrakhan has frequently espoused bigoted and anti-Semitic rhetoric. In recent years, the Nation of Islam’s campaign to demonize various groups including Jews, whites, and others has continued unabated.