Letter to the Editor: Jeff Chernofsky

Letter to the editor,

In the last few years, we have witnessed a surge in antisemitism worldwide. Georgia unfortunately has not been exempt from this rising scourge. It is one matter when individuals from the cesspool of society gather in front of a synagogue to spew their hatred but it is quite another when it is a former member of the Democratic Party who served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

We are, of course, referring to Cynthia McKinney, no stranger to the deplorable realm of Jew hatred. McKinney has a long history of voicing her antisemitic views. From her bag of lies she brandishes all of the old antisemetic tropes, some of which would put the Nazis to shame. According to McKinney, the Jews are responsible for everything from 9/11 to slavery. When she’s exhausted her borrowed venomous accusations she’ll resort to inventing a few of her own, some of which can be quite creative. Of course Israel is the focus of many of her deranged rants. The Holocaust Deniers and an entire host of other miscreants find her a strong voice in the chorus of “The Jews are the Problem!”

The apple, of course, never falls far from the tree. Her late father, Billy McKinney, never shied away from voicing his antisemitism. When asked about his daughter using an old endorsement for her primary campaign he retorted that the endorsement would not matter because “Jews have bought everybody. Jews. J-E-W-S.”

Cynthia McKinney is an affront, not only to the Jewish community but to civil society. She is an affront to everything our beautiful state and country stand for; Equality, Freedom From Hatred, Harmony and Unity. If McKinney was just another virulent Jew Hater, we wouldn’t be so upset. We’ve unfortunately seen their kind before. McKinney, however, enjoys a large cohort of followers and believers. Her years in politics endow her with a substantial profile which she leverages to spread her venom.

So what can be done as a community? The Jewish people are not powerless. We have learned much from the Holocaust. We know how hateful lies slowly morph into truths when delivered by skilled propagandists. We remember when good people do nothing in the face of threats and violence. McKinney must be denounced by our community and the rest of Georgia’s citizenry.

Let’s start by demanding that the Billy McKinney Highway (between I-20 in northwest Atlanta and I-75 near Cumberland Mall) be renamed. There are multitudes of African American Georgians who are far more deserving of this recognition.

Let’s alert our congressional representatives, our senators and mayors to Mckinney’s mendacity. Let our voices rise in protest. We shall not be cowered and remain silent in the face of evil no matter the source.

Jeff Chernofsky, Atlanta