RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG
A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun
A Quizbook of Jewish Trivia Facts & Fun
Donald Trump was honored last week by the ZOA, which bestowed upon him the prestigious Theodor Herzl Medal, an award that has previously been given to Lord Balfour, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, and Menachem Begin. ZOA’s announcement of the award, which is only rarely given out, noted Trump’s strong support of Israel, including the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the cutting of funding to Palestinians, and the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. In his remarks, Trump said that the United States and Israel are “allies morally, culturally and spiritually and we always will be, at least if I have anything to do about it.” He also noted that “When you see all of the horrible things that have taken place with Biden and Barack Hussein Obama and then they get 75% of the [Jewish] vote. What the hell is going on here?” ZOA president Mort Klein spoke at the event, remarking that “The Torah promises that Israel is the Jewish homeland, and will always be the Jewish homeland. Unlike politicians, except President Trump, God keeps his promises.” In addition to this strange statement comparing God’s trustworthiness to Trump’s, what other noteworthy comments has Klein made in the past?
Morton Klein by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
A. In support of rapper Ice Cube against charges of antisemitism, Klein tweeted, “I, Mort Klein, just had a 2 hour conversation with Ice Cube. We both grew up poor in Black hoods. Cube told me he thanked Jews for starting NAACP, many Black schools&fighting for Black civil rights.”
B. Commenting on the joyous style of celebration displayed by the Chassidic community, Klein referenced a family wedding he had attended, where the Chassidic guests danced with great exuberance, putting the rest of the celebrants to shame. “They were dancing up a storm, these guys. I thought they were black. Instead they’re just black-hat.”
C. In response to a reporter’s question about Klein’s stereotypical remark about Black people being good dancers, Klein defended himself to the reporter, saying “What are you, stupid? What are you, stupid? Each different peoples have different talents that everyone knows. And everyone knows that blacks are, on average, are better dancers than other people.”
D. Defending himself against charges that he has made racist remarks, Klein explained that “If one mentions a positive trait about an identifiable group it can never be called racism.” He then added, “I don’t even think about difference in colors. Except I recognize that whites cannot compete with blacks in basketball.”
E. In response to questions about his past comments which many have seen as insensitive at best and racist at worst, Klein stated, “What was I thinking? I’m ashamed of my past comments, I disavow them all, and I have some serious t’shuvah to undertake.”
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