Members of the governing board of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum have called on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D‑NY) to remove Sen. Bernie Sanders (I‑VT) from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, following reports that he has not attended a single meeting in 18 years, JNS reported.
Sanders, appointed to the council in 2007, serves on a body made up of presidential and congressional appointees that meets twice a year to oversee the museum’s mission, programming and educational work. According to attendance records reviewed by board members and provided to the New York Post, however, Sanders “has missed every meeting of the board since his appointment."
In a Jan. 13 letter to Schumer signed by a dozen council members, the board wrote that Sanders “has rarely, if ever, attended council meetings or participated meaningfully in the work of the council since his appointment."
The letter also expressed concern over Sanders’s public comments on “contemporary genocidal conflicts, including characterizations widely viewed as inconsistent with the principles of Holocaust remembrance and genocide prevention."
Sanders has been a vocal critic of Israeli policy, and claimed this past September that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza, the first time he used this controversial term to describe the ongoing conflict.
Last July, the Jewish senator vehemently denounced the visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, D.C., for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
Sanders characterized the day as "a shameful day in America," citing the International Criminal Court's (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged "war crimes."
While neither Israel nor the US are state parties of the ICC, Senator Sanders wrote, "Today, a war criminal under indictment from the ICC will be welcomed to the White House."
In late July, the Senate rejected a resolution, introduced by Sanders, that would have blocked American arms transfers to Israel.
The motion failed by a vote of 27-70. It marked Sanders’ third attempt to force a halt to US weapons deliveries to Israel since late 2024, all of which have failed.