According to Jason Rantz of KTTH in Seattle, Washington, as of early Thursday morning, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, a Democrat who has been quick to condemn President Trump and a Christian baker, has refused to condemn the virulent anti-Semitism targeting a conservative Orthodox Jewish candidate running for the Seattle City Council.
Ari Hoffman, a candidate in District 2, has been targeted on 8Chan by threats suggesting that he should be killed, prompting the FBI and the Seattle Police department to investigate. The post on 8Chan included a photo of Hoffman’s family. As Rantz reported:
The anti-Semitic trolls recommend people “literally kill Ari” and call out his young son, claiming he “literally looks like a anti-Semitic caricature.” Another user says “Jews are the most <expletive> cancerous trash on this planet and anyone who defends them is just as trash.”
Hoffman told the Saul Spady Show on KTTH, “There are some pretty serious anti-Semitic language using the k-word and a few other things on there, specifically targeting my kids and this is a scary thing. This is pretty horrifying.”
But despite the fact that Regina Friedland, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, has urged Durkan to condemn the threats, silence.
Friedland told Rantz, “No response. I want the Mayor’s office to condemn, to outright condemn, these attacks on Ari Hoffman and his family. I’d also expect that from other members of the city council. It’s just it’s not acceptable for their silence.”
Rantz added, “I’ve sent three emails, three texts and two phone calls to the Mayor’s office for comment, asking if they planned on releasing a statement. They’ve ignored all of these requests for comments. When they don’t like something I broadcast or publish, I get a series of critical emails. When it comes to condemning anti-Semitism, I’m ghosted.”
Friedland told Rantz, “I think if it happened to someone of any of the quote ‘other [protected] groups’, I think that, yeah, Mayor Durkan herself, with a local [TV] station crew, would have probably been at the door offering their support and comfort and everything else. What would the reaction be if this was said about a gay candidate, a Muslim candidate, an African-American candidate? What would happen?”
Rantz noted that Durkan has not been shy about offering condemnations in the past, including:
Rantz reported in August 2018 that Hoffman, vice president of the Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath Synagogue and a board member of the Bikur Cholim cemetery, was frustrated with the Seattle City Council and Durkan for what he perceived as inaction after homeless people desecrated the cemetery.