Two GOP legislators from Kentucky’s Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee apologized after making an antisemitic statement while discussing a state lease agreement on Tuesday.
Representative Walker Thomas and Committee Chairman Senator Rick Girdler–who are both Republican–used the phrase “Jew them down" when asking to lower the price on a lease.
According to the Kentucky Herald, the phrase was first uttered by Representative Thomas following a presentation given by Scott Aubrey, the Director of the Division of Real Properties.
When the Committee Chairman asked if there were any questions after Aubrey's briefing, Thomas was heard laughing on a hot mic after asking if the state could “jew them down on the price.”
You can watch the video, below.
Warning: disturbing language.
During a committe hearing, two Kentucky legislators used the phrase \u201cJew them down\u201d in reference to the cost of a state lease agreement. #kylegpic.twitter.com/Y5kE86VhXL— Shannon Watts (@Shannon Watts) 1645708910
Senator Girdler echoed the phase and said, “We’ve got a representative up here (asking) if you could Jew them down a little bit on the price."
Moments later, he corrected himself, adding, "That ain’t the right word to use. ‘Drop them down,’ I guess.”
Only shocking thing is that the man knew he \u201cguesses he should\u2019ve used another word\u201d.pic.twitter.com/eq4Ll9rnbw— Bryan Erickson (@Bryan Erickson) 1645734377
When the clip of the two legislators casually dropping the offensive phrase was released to the public, they were met with immediate backlash.
The fact that members of the Kentucky government are comfortable saying an Antisemitic trope is deeply disturbing.\n\nCasual Antisemitism can easily lead to a tangible threat to Jewish safety.\n\nIn some places, it already has.\n\nIt's 2022 @KYGOP, and Jews are in danger.\n\nDo better.— Joel M. Petlin (@Joel M. Petlin) 1645652430
Still living in the 1950s when that comment was regularly spoken with no regard to its implications or origin. But\u2026 that was 70 years ago.— SMSass (@SMSass) 1645640012
The American Jewish Committee condemned the two lawmakers for their use of the objectionable phrase.
Speaking to the Huffington Post, the Committee argued the term "Jew down" was an antisemitic expression that “'plays into the trope of Jews as greedy money handlers who are unwilling to part with their earnings.'"
The American Jewish Committee's Translate Hate Glossary on their website further explained why the phrase is offensive.
"Rooted in the false stereotype that Jews are cheap or stingy, the phrase 'Jew down' may seem to be a harmless expression that’s used in everyday vernacular."
"However, it is an insulting, antisemitic misrepresentation of Jewish behavior that plays into the trope of Jews as greedy money handlers who are unwilling to part with their earnings."
They added:
"The common, mainstream use of antisemitic terms, like Jew down, plays a dangerous role in normalizing antisemitism and reinforcing conspiracy theories in the minds of antisemites."
In response to the uproar among the Jewish community, Thomas responded with a statement of apology to the Herald-Leader, saying it was a phrase he's heard "throughout [his] life."
“I sincerely regret using that term and apologize to anyone harmed by my use of it. This is not who I am, nor is it what my faith leads me to be,” Thomas said.
“It is a phrase I have heard throughout my life, but this experience has provided me with an opportunity to reflect on the impact that words have and the fact that we must be smarter today than we were yesterday.“
We are officially in the Apology Season. Came early this year.— Irka (@Irka) 1645656710
Okay the qualifier in one of the apologies immediately invalidated his words. If you say \u201canyone offended\u201d you are not apologizing— 4onthefloor (@4onthefloor) 1645710004
Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, executive director of Chabad of the Bluegrass and chairman of the Kentucky Jewish Council, also spoke out.
He called the phrase a “dangerous relic of a hateful bygone era” that has no place in Kentucky.
Words matter. When two Republican elected officials use a vile anti-Jewish slur during a committee hearing, it emboldens antisemites and makes Jews less safe.\n\nThere is no excuse for such blatant bigotry.— Jewish Dems (@Jewish Dems) 1645709066
And somehow people still vote for these people. God help us!!— Patrick Carroll (@Patrick Carroll) 1645662278
Litvin added:
“The phrase ‘Jew them down’ Is an extremely offensive one, with a long and bloody history of use against the Jewish community,”
Litvin also said he was “extremely surprised” to hear Girdler–whom he knows and respects–repeat the phrase Thomas had just used.
Girdler also apologized, saying he was “deeply sorry if I offended anyone,” adding, "I have no hate or malice in my heart for anyone in the Jewish community.”
\u201cTalk them down\u201d. It\u2019s not that hard. It\u2019s not hard to avoid slurs.— SouthernCard (@SouthernCard) 1645657831
Melanie Maron Pell, AJC Chief Field Operations Officer who is based in Louisville, said that while "belated apologies" were welcome, the use of the phrase by elected officials perpetuates a harmful stereotype.
Apology is a good start, but what's needed is education. What would teach others not to use the same phrase?— Yo (@Yo) 1645657935
Said Pell:
“Certainly, there are plentiful words and phrases in the English language to use in making a point in the state legislature without succumbing to traditional, derogatory references to Jews."
"Elected officials must be among the first to recognize the harm derogatory terms can cause, especially when antisemitism is on the rise in the United States.”
It's 2022. Anyone who doesn't know better than to say antisemitic garbage by now shouldn't be running for office, let alone holding office.— Tom Beshear (@Tom Beshear) 1645640494
"Jew them down" is an inexcusably ugly expression, and you have to be pretty obtuse not to know that in 2022. Then again, Jews are just 0.3% of #Kentucky's population and many people have never met one. This sounds to me like ignorance, not hatred.https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article258667388.html\u00a0\u2026— Jeff Jacoby (@Jeff Jacoby) 1645655915
Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge also weighed in on the controversy and said the lawmakers' use of the phrase was reflective of the conservative party’s values.
GOP= NuNazi Party— William Heyman (@William Heyman) 1645652288
“This is more offensive, divisive and hateful language from Republican legislators that have no place in our society and absolutely no place coming from elected leaders in our state Capitol,” wrote Elridge.
“... Unfortunately, no one is surprised or shocked because, at every turn, the Republican supermajority has shown us who they are by prioritizing division, hate and discrimination over priorities and legislation that build a better Kentucky and bring our people together.”
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