Actress and television host Whoopi Goldberg was blasted on Monday after claiming on her TV show “The View” that “the Holocaust isn’t about race,” but rather about “man’s inhumanity to man.”
The incident occurred when the show’s panel was discussing a Tennessee school board’s removal of the Holocaust book “Maus” from its curriculum. All five co-hosts opposed the board’s decision, saying that the acclaimed graphic memoir should be taught in classrooms. Goldberg, however, differed strongly from her colleagues on the question of exactly why the Holocaust should be taught to students.
“If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it,” Goldberg said, before elaborating that “these [Jews and Nazis] are two white groups of people.”
Co-host Joy Behar objected, arguing that Nazis “considered Jews a different race.” Guest co-host Ana Navarro asserted that “it’s about white supremacy, it’s about going after Jews and Gypsies.”
Goldberg continued to speak and insisted, “The minute you turn it into race, you go down this alley.”
Jewish groups slammed Goldberg, pointing out that the Nazis specifically targeted Jews for extermination.
StopAntisemitism.org tweeted, “Newsflash Whoopi Goldberg: 6 million of us were gassed, starved and massacred because we were deemed an inferior race by the Nazis. How dare you minimize our trauma and suffering!”
American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris wrote, “Whoopi Goldberg absurdly claims the Holocaust ‘isn’t about race.’ Nazi Germany considered all Jews a ‘subhuman race.’ That’s why they wanted to exterminate the entire Jewish people, including my family, & almost succeeded. Please rethink & apologize.”
The Auschwitz Museum, meanwhile, tweeted a link to a seven-chapter online course about the history of the Holocaust and made sure to tag Goldberg.