Actress Whoopi Goldberg is receiving criticism from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) over her comments about the Holocaust.
ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt posted a thread on Twitter reacting to an interview between Goldberg and The Sunday Times of London.
During the interview, Goldberg appeared to suggest that there is a division among Jewish people about whether they are a race or religion.
âMy best friend said, âNot for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race. So that leads me to believe that weâre probably not a race,ââ she said.
The Times journalist Janice Turner pushed back against Goldberg, saying, âNazis saw Jews as a race.â
Goldberg replied, âYes, but thatâs the killer, isnât it? The oppressor is telling you what you are. Why are you believing them? Theyâre Nazis. Why believe what theyâre saying?â
She continued, âIt doesnât change the fact that you could not tell a Jew on a street. You could find me. You couldnât find them.â
Commenting on the interview, Greenblatt wrote, âYet again, comments about the Holocaust and race are deeply offensive and incredibly ignorant. When she made similar comments earlier this year, we explained how the Nazi regime was inherently racist.â
He added, âThe Nazis set out to exterminate the Jewish people, whom they viewed as inferior to the mythical âAryan master race.â They used pseudo-scientific theories of race to justify their anti-Jewish ârace lawsâ and systemic slaughter of millions.â
Greenblatt argued it is âno coincidence that white supremacists in the US today echo the Nazisâ âmaster raceâ claim as they spread their antisemitic and racist hate.â
Concluding the thread, he wrote, âWhoopiâs comments show a complete lack of awareness of the multiethnic, multiracial makeup of the Jewish community. She needs to apologize immediately and actually commit to educating herself on the true nature of â
Earlier this year, Goldberg was suspended for making similar comments about the Holocaust during âThe View.â
âEffective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,â ABC News president Kim Godwin said in a statement at the time.
She explained, âWhile Whoopi has apologized, Iâve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organization stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.â
