You can help. Take a stand in support of the common good.

BREAKING: Statement from Simon Greer, President & CEO, Jewish Funds for Justice

On Monday, July 26, I attended a meeting with Fox CEO Roger Ailes and SVP of Development Joel Cheatwood. I joined Rabbi Steve Gutow and Rabbi David Ellenson, representing more than a dozen heads of major Jewish organizations. For forty-five minutes we discussed the use of rhetoric by Fox News host Glenn Beck that invoked the Holocaust or Nazi Germany. We left this meeting with the impression that Mr. Ailes and Mr. Cheatwood understood our concerns about Mr. Beck's frequent misuse of this language and would take steps to address it.

When I received an email immediately following the meeting from Mr. Cheatwood saying he would speak to Mr. Beck, and a handwritten note from Mr. Beck a few days later, it reinforced the impression that they had followed through on that commitment.

Yesterday, in an article by Yahoo News, I was quoted praising the outcome of the meeting and saying that Fox News shared our belief "that the use [of Holocaust rhetoric] did cross a line." Cheatwood responded to the article in a most surprising and disheartening manner: "The story basically -- as I read it -- indicated that Roger Ailes and myself had agreed with Greer. We absolutely stood behind Glenn Beck 1000%."

Jewish leaders and others concerned about this issue were encouraged to hear that Fox News was addressing their concerns. Mr. Cheatwood's comments will make them reconsider their enthusiasm. After muddying the water yesterday, Fox News has a responsibility to make it clear whether or not they believe Mr. Beck has been responsible in his frequent invocation of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany to attack those with whom he disagrees.

For several months, Jewish Funds for Justice has been actively engaging those who present scapegoats and demagoguery in response to the problems Americans face. Instead of pointing fingers, we prefer to point to solutions. Here are some examples of how we've engaged and responded to those we oppose.

In March, JFSJ President and CEO Simon Greer asked what solutions the Tea Party actually provides. He asked:

The desire of those facing challenges to get involved in civic life is heartening. I'm not concerned by increased engagement in politics or more passionate voices participating in the public conversation. Pam acted in the best tradition of citizenship.

But when Pam joined the Tea Party, her passion, fueled by her son's financial problems, was abused and misdirected. The Tea Party's answers will not help her family or strengthen our country. In response to legitimate concerns about our political and economic systems, the Tea Party's leaders offer only scapegoats and conspiracy theories.

Later that month, JFSJ launched Haik U Glenn Beck, an innovative website that engaged thousands of people in a unique protest: responding with haiku to Beck's vituperative statements about the role of religion. The project culminated in the world's first "Twitterstorm", sending one haiku a minute to Beck over Twitter. To date, we've received thousands of haiku from around the world, and been covered by Newsweek, the Washington Post, Boing Boing and by Beck himself, who said, "I've never seen anything like this."

We followed this success in the middle of April with a column from Simon in the Post's "On Faith" column titled, "Government is essential to quest for social justice". From that essay:

Mr. Beck, you are a con man and America is not buying it. I exhort you to stop bottling your ideological agenda and labeling it "theology." Americans deserve and demand better.

You've told us what not to look for in a house of worship. But now I ask you, sincerely, what kind of house of worship do you desire? On March 23, you said, "Make sure your church puts God first and politics and government last."

The question then is, how do we put God first?

Recently, Mr. Beck responded, in his own inimitable fashion:

BECK: God is truth. And he lights a fire. God changes hearts. God goes directly to your heart. Government goes directly to your wallet."

He says, "All of us are created in the image of the divine, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. To put God first in faith is to put humanity first." Is that true? He then says, "This is a democracy." No, it's a republic. There's a difference, you should look it up. "The government is you, me, and 300 million whom we share with our nation. Government is one way which we care for our neighbors, and tradition tells me to care for my neighbor as I care for myself. Here's what we do for each other as Americans: We grow food, we create jobs, we build homes, pave roads, teach our children, care for our grandparents, secure our neighborhoods. Government makes our country function. To put God first is to put humankind first. To put humankind first is to put the common good first.""

This leads to death camps. A Jew, of all people, should know that. This is exactly the kind of talk that led to the death camps in Germany. Put humankind and the common good first.

You can help. Take a stand in support of the common good.

Our response was simple:

This morning, on his nationally syndicated radio program, Tea Party hero Glenn Beck lambasted me for writing, in a Washington Post op-ed, that "to put God first is to put humankind first, and to put humankind first is to put the common good first." Beck responded by claiming that putting the common good first "leads to death camps."

Glenn Beck has a history recklessly invoking Nazi Germany and the Holocaust in order to advance his political agenda. Most Jews in the United States share our belief in the role of the common good in society. With his comments today, Beck is essentially accusing millions of Jews – including survivors of the Holocaust and their children and grandchildren – of paving the way for fascism.

I submit that Jews have a better idea of what causes fascism than Glenn Beck.

Beck's reflexive hatred for government is not shared by many Jews, who have seen the powerful role government can play in providing Americans with greater freedom, security, and opportunity. I am proud of the work we do at Jewish Funds for Justice, where our belief that we are all made in the image of the divine compels us to petition private enterprise, charities, and yes, the government, to do their part to ensure our shared divinity.

June 1: Keith Olbermann gives his thoughts on Beck's most recent comments.

Members of the media seeking more information can contact us by email. Full catalog of press mentions.