MSNBC’s Touré received strong condemnation from a Jewish organization today for comments he made last week on Twitter.
On Friday, the MSNBC host responded to a tweet from someone describing their family’s experience during and after the Holocaust.
The power of whiteness: RT @hope_and_chains: My family survived a concentration camp, came to the US w/ nothing, LEGALLY, and made it work.
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— Touré (@Toure) May 23, 2014
“It’s obviously absurd and smacks of intense and disgusting anti-Semitism,” Efraim Zuroff, Israel office director at the Simon Wiesenthal Center told TheBlaze. “It’s reverse-racism basically.”
He continued: “There is no question that part of the anti-Semitism that we see has its roots in the form of jealousy. This is a perfect example: ‘Jews made it because they’re white and Jews.’”
Touré has not tweeted again since Friday. We’ve reached out to MSNBC to see if he will address the criticism on-air, but haven’t heard back yet.
>>Update: Touré has apologized via Twitter.
Late last week, I foolishly got involved in a twitter exchange regarding an article about reparations… (1 of 3).
— Touré (@Toure) May 27, 2014
It was a dumb idea by me to debate serious and nuanced topics in 140 characters or less… (Cont.)
— Touré (@Toure) May 27, 2014
In an attempt to comment on racism in post World War II America, I used a shorthand that was insensitive and wrong. (Cont.)
— Touré (@Toure) May 27, 2014
…I am very sorry and will make sure this doesn’t happen again.
— Touré (@Toure) May 27, 2014