Several National Jewish Groups Have Responded To Palin's Inappropriate Use Of The Phrase "Blood Libel"

“Instead of dialing down the rhetoric at this difficult moment, Sarah Palin chose to accuse others trying to sort out the meaning of this tragedy of somehow engaging in a ‘blood libel’ against her and others,” said David Harris, president of the National Jewish Democratic Council.

“This is of course a particularly heinous term for American Jews, given that the repeated fiction of blood libels are directly responsible for the murder of so many Jews across centuries — and given that blood libels are so directly intertwined with deeply ingrained anti-Semitism around the globe, even today,” he said.

Simon Greer, the president of Jewish Funds for Justice, called Palin's use of the term (Blood Libel) "totally out-of-line."

"The term “blood libel” is not a synonym for 'false accusation,' he said. "It refers to a specific falsehood perpetuated by Christians about Jews for centuries, a falsehood that motivated a good deal of anti-Jewish violence and discrimination."

And Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that it was "inappropriate at the outset to blame Sarah Palin and others for causing this tragedy," but added that "we wish that Palin had not invoked the phrase 'blood libel' in reference to the actions of journalists and pundits in placing blame for the shooting in Tucson on others."

"While the term 'blood libel' has become part of the English parlance to refer to someone being falsely accused, we wish that Palin had used another phrase, instead of one so fraught with pain in Jewish history," he said.
Sarah Palin's Use of Jewish Slur 'Blood Libel' Causes Uproar

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"Few mainstream Republicans have defended Mrs Palin, leaving it to far-right commentators** such as Mr Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

Roger Ailes, the Fox News President who is Mrs Palin's boss at the network where she has a talk show slot, said this week that he had told his hosts to "tone it down". While Mrs Palin's tone was utterly unapologetic, it was her use of the term "blood libel" that propelled her to the eye of a new storm yesterday.

Mrs Palin apparently plucked the phrase from the right-wing blogs where it has proliferated after earlier appearing in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece on the controversy. She seems, however, to have used it without consideration of its anti-Semitic origins or the fact that Ms Giffords, the target of the shooting, is Jewish.

Jewish leaders were quick to condemn her words. David Harris, the president of the National Jewish Democratic Council, said: "Sarah Palin's invocation of a 'blood libel' charge against her perceived enemies is hardly a step in the right direction." The Anti-Defamation League said: "We wish that Palin had used another phrase, instead of one so fraught with pain in Jewish history."

Ari Fleischer, the former spokesman for George W Bush and himself Jewish, said: "It would have been even better if she simply rose above the accusations about her map and focused entirely on the bigger message of loss, tragedy and the greatness of our country and the strength of our people."
The Australian

Blog Note**(this should also include extreme Right wing Canadian radio hosts, John Gormley and Charles Adler)...


UPDATE:
-Republicans Steer Clear Of Palin's 'Blood Libel' Comments ...

-HAARETZ: US Jewish leaders slam Sarah Palin's blood libel accusation

Jerusalem Post: Analysis: Vitriolic rhetoric cited after Giffords shooting