With one day left to the CD2 election, those negative mailers from last week are continuing to haunt the CD2 candidates. On KPCC’s “AIRTALK” this morning, CD2 Candidate, Christine Essel was taken to task by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Associate Dean of the world’s leading Jewish human rights organization, demanded an apology from Essel.
As previously reported, last week the Essel campaign sent out a campaign flyer utilizing images of the Holocaust, and accusing her opponent, Paul Krekorian of sexism and anti-semitism. The images includes the word “Intolerance” over a picture of City Hall covered in barbed wire, as well as what many are referring to as “skinhead imagery.”
Rabbi Cooper said, “The flyer was disgusting and inappropriate.” He strongly added, “She should apologize.”
Essel responded on air response to the Rabbi, “There are different views on that subject from different sides of the Jewish community.”
Village To Village has contacted the Essel campaign for further comment. We have been informed they have “not received a statement from any Rabbi”, so they have “nothing to respond to at this time.”
A statement by Candidate Paul Krekorian declares, “I was appalled at the heinous piece of mail Essel sent out and stand in solidarity with Rabbi Cooper in demanding that Essel apologize to the Jewish community for this grave insult to those who have been the victims of hatred and intolerance.”
The Wiesenthal Center admonishment follows a weekend filled community outrage at this highly sensitive issued being dragged into the City Council Race. Congressman Brad Sherman was, “saddened to see Christine Essel send out this last minute attack using abusive Holocaust imagery to gain political points.” Saturday he commented, “Nothing trivializes anti-semitisim more, ” adding this is “ a new low bar for the evaluation of candidates for office. “
To hear the entire interview with both candidates. Follow this link airtalk.
Essel rebuffed Rabbi Cooper? wow. What a complete and utter fool.
I heard the segment live, and it was clear to me that Essel was at a loss for words when confronted with the Rabbi’s demand that SHE apologize, because it interrupted HER blasting Paul for alleged anti-semitism and sexism, and she had no “talking points” from Shallman for this yet.
Your stating that the Shallman/Essel campaign had no comment because they had no written statement from Rabbi Cooper confirms that Essel is incapable of dealing with issues on the fly, as they come up, which is CRUCIAL for any effective candidate. When you can only speak with talking points from your campaign manager or a Chief Deputy, you’re NOT ready for prime time!
(We’re seeing that from the last Shallman candidate Trutanich who puts his foot or entire leg into his mouth every time he opens it, so that even with the Times and Orlov at Daily News, and the Weekly — all avid fans of his — trying their best to sanitize his comments, he’s so often mis-spoken, said nonsense or comes off as a bully or insensitive lout, that he’s now media-shy and laments his ‘unfair’ coverage almost wherever he goes, in person like at SOHA or on-air to Kevin James. Notice how after he misspeaks, it’s always Cooley’s long-time friends and now his top Aides Bill Carter or Curt Livesay are sent in to try to clean up what he meant and fabricate a justification for his obsession with “wins” on his terms right or wrong.
Today’s quote from him in the Daily News to try to justify demanding $6 Million from AEG while admitting there’s no legal basis for it is a doozy — quote is from an unnamed reporter for the City News Service as reprinted in Daily News, a REAL reporter, not Orlov his PR consultant and friend of Zine. He talks about “theories” and vague “legal structures” then, as the reporter drolly noted, disappeared “without elaboration.”
If he’s become the Sarah Palin of the Legal/ Local Political World, Essel is the candidate who can’t do ANYTHING but repeat the dialogue that’s written for her even if she’s in the WRONG script. NO improv ability reflecting lack of the nuanced knowledge of issues, CD2 locations and institutions, or the players and issues near and dear to people’s hearts, which is VITAL.
Someone needs to tell Essel. There are no differing views on this in the Jewish Community. No one takes it lightly. There are no shades of gray. Using something which devastated so many lives is revolting. This is not hypothetical. Did Essel have family with numbers tattooed their wrist? I am guessing not. If she did, she would NEVER have allowed this. Insensitive doesn’t begin to cover it.
I have seen the mailer – since when is city hall wrapped in barbed wire indicative of the holocaust? It’s a very cool image, but anyone who sees the holocaust in it has a dirty mind – or a guilty conscience.
Anyone is free to read whatever they want into the image of the barbed wire around City Hall. However, calling it “cool” when you consider the context of the overall message is deplorable.
There may be times when barbed wire is a perfectly appropriate symbol for what goes on in City Hall or anywhere else, but used as it was in this case is thoughtless and sensational. It pandered to the worst of human emotions.
Do I think Essel is anti-semetic?
No.
I think Shallman, Greuel and Essel do need to re-evaluate their concept of decorum and decency, especially in a community where there are holocaust survivors, a couple of whom I count as friends.
First of all, it’s spelled “anti-semitic.” Second of all, the context you’re referring to is Essel’s attack on Krekorian for his ANTI-SEMITIC supporters. So, Essel’s not allowed to respond without being attacked on the preposterous grounds that a picture of City Hall wrapped in barbed wire somehow evokes the holocaust? Sheesh, you and all the other Essel haters are the one’s who are truly exploiting the holocaust in all this. Pretty sly, and pretty disgusting.
I am a-ternally gr8ful for Spellin Nazis
At least you knew how to spell Nazi. Interesting….
Well, I hope you have a clean brown shirt in your closet. I’d recommend long sleeves today.
[…] campaign continue to use these heinous images? I would have thought being admonished by the Wiesenthal Center would have put an end to it. I am […]
Paul, your comment regarding having a clean brown long-sleeved shirt in the closet was uncalled for.
This election is now over. I didn’t want to vote for either one, but I voted for the person who I thought was the lesser of two evils. Please note that there are no spelling or hyphenated word mistakes.
Hi, Stu. The comment was made pre election in response to a reader who took offense with a post regarding the inapropriate barbed wire/holocaust image in the Essel mailer. You have to follow the thread to understand the context of my remark. I have little patience for people who object to posting news that is deemed to be unfavorable to their cause, as this person was. Thoughout the campaign, I caught flack from a few fanatics on both sides depending on which side the post went. There were a few comments I did not post becuase they were completely inappropriate. This guy had it coming. I have no regrets.
[…] campaign continue to use these heinous images? I would have thought being admonished by the Wiesenthal Center would have put an end to it. I am […]