Apology of the day

[yankeedoodle]

NY Education Department apologises after antisemitic newsletter sent to public schools
The letter included a 'toolkit' instructing how to boycott pro-Israel organisations and accused the Jewish state of committing genocide
https://www.thejc.com/news/usa/new-york-antisemitic-newsletter-public-schools-j0nyoygw

[yankeedoodle]

Oh, dear...when will the world ever learn that the words "never again" must never again - even temporarily - be spoken, unless you are a jew. 


A temporary billboard displayed by Nike was meant to inspire runners in the 2025 London Marathon, April 27, 2025.

Nike apologizes for marathon ad using the Holocaust phrase 'Never Again'
The billboard used a black and red color scheme and the phrase "Never Again. Until Next Year."
https://www.jta.org/2025/04/28/global/nike-apologizes-for-marathon-ad-using-the-holocaust-phrase-never-again

Sneaker maker Nike has apologized for using the phrase "Never Again" in a billboard placed along the route of Sunday's London Marathon.

Critics of the billboard — featuring a red background and large black letters reading "Never Again. Until Next Year" — lambasted the company for using a phrase often used by Jews and others as a reminder to heed the lessons of the Holocaust.

"The idea that @Nike would make light of the holocaust using Hitler-red imagery in a post-October 7th world is stunning," the activist Jewish investor Bill Ackman wrote on X.

"I don't believe for a second there was any ill malice, but please understand the concern with using the words 'Never Again,' what they represent and why this was in poor taste," tweeted Arsen Ostrovsky, an attorney and pro-Israel activist.

In its apology, obtained by the Forward, Nike said the temporary billboard was part of a campaign to "inspire runners and the copy was based on common phrases used by runners." The phrase was meant to echo runners who often swear off long races immediately after completing one, only to return for another round later.

"We did not mean any harm and apologize for any we caused," the company said.

Nike is not the first entity to court controversy for using an otherwise common term that at least since the 1960s has been associated with calls to prevent another Holocaust. In 2018, survivors of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, took the hashtag "#NeverAgain" to promote their national gun control campaign. The phrase has also been used in protests against Donald Trump's Muslim ban during his first term, in remembrance of Japanese internment during World War II and recalling the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

In some of those cases, the adopters were at least directly or indirectly referencing the Holocaust and using "never again" as an injunction not to repeat the kinds of actions that lead to intolerance and genocide.

Writing in the conservative British magazine The Spectator, the columnist Jonathan Sacerdoti said he was stunned when he first saw the billboard in London.

"It would have taken just one set of discerning eyes, one solitary voice, one 'sensitivity reader' to raise a gentle objection," wrote Sacerdoti, whose column last week focused on Holocaust remembrance. "Did not a single Jew suggest that it might be inappropriate? Did not a single non-Jew, with a grasp of history or an awareness of today's climate, flag it? If not, why not? Was this ignorance, carelessness, or a chilling indifference? Either way, the result is insulting and profoundly distasteful."

[yankeedoodle]

For a change, here's an article about a jew being forced to apology.

Cifu apologized in a statement that referenced the team's majority owner family.

"Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media," he said. "My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to amend my actions."

Jewish NHL owner suspended after social media spat with fan he called an 'anti-semite loser'
Florida Panthers minority owner Doug Cifu tweeted "Israel now and forever" and referred to Canada as the "51st state."
https://www.jta.org/2025/05/14/sports/jewish-nhl-owner-suspended-after-social-media-spat-with-fan-he-called-an-anti-semite-loser

Florida Panthers minority owner Doug Cifu has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL after a social media spat with a fan that included discussion of the Israel-Hamas war and accusations of antisemitism.

Cifu, a vice chairman and part-owner of the defending Stanley Cup champions since 2013, is Jewish and had five Israeli flag emojis in the bio of his X account, which has since been deactivated.

On Sunday night, during the Panthers' playoff victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, a Toronto fan replied to one of Cifu's posts by asking, "Hey, what's worse, using headshots to win a series or using starvation as a weapon to win a war?"

The "headshots" comment appeared to be a reference to several upper-body hits from Panthers players, including one that forced Toronto's goalie out of a game earlier in the series. The latter comment refers to Israel's halt on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Aid organizations say the stoppage could lead to imminent famine.

Cifu replied, "Actually being a whiny dope anti-semite is clearly worse. Loser."

The fan shot back: "Not approving of using starvation as a weapon makes me a bigot?"

Then, Cifu replied again, this time referencing President Donald Trump's musings about making Canada the 51st U.S. state: "Eat shit 51st state anti-semite loser. Israel now and forever. Until ever [sic] last Hamas rat is eliminated."

Cifu made his account private on Monday, and then deactivated it. On Tuesday, the league announced its suspension.

"The NHL has concluded that Mr. Cifu's X posts were unacceptable and inappropriate," the league said. "As a result, Mr. Cifu has been suspended indefinitely from any involvement with the Club and the NHL. An in-person meeting will be scheduled with Mr. Cifu and the Commissioner at a date to be determined."

Cifu apologized in a statement that referenced the team's majority owner family.

"Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media," he said. "My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to amend my actions."

The NHL, which has a large Canadian fan base and many Canadian players, did not clarify which of Cifu's comments it deemed "unacceptable and inappropriate." The league's commissioner is Gary Bettman, who is Jewish and has been involved in efforts to combat antisemitism.

Some Jewish fans took issue with what they perceived as the silencing of a pro-Israel voice. One Jewish hockey-focused account called the suspension "outrageous," and another Jewish account said the NHL was "targeting" Cifu in a post that has gone viral.

"This is a disgrace," the account @Awesome_Jew_ wrote. "At a time when antisemitism is surging globally, the NHL has decided that Jews must stay silent — even when facing hate and defending themselves against genocidal terror."

[yankeedoodle]

Gary Lineker 'apologises unreservedly' for sharing post about Zionism that included picture of a rat
'I would never share anything antisemitic,' claimed Match of the Day presenter
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/gary-lineker-apologises-unreservedly-for-sharing-post-about-zionism-that-included-picture-of-a-rat-kbaiqjir