Evangelist Billy Graham apologizes at Ohio meeting for anti-Jewish remarks

Associated Press ^

[RCW2001]

Evangelist Billy Graham apologizes at Ohio meeting for anti-Jewish remarks
Wed Jun 26, 1:03 PM ET

CINCINNATI - Evangelist Billy Graham made his first face-to-face apology for anti-Jewish comments he made at the White House that were recorded 30 years ago, an aide said Wednesday.

The apology came Sunday at Graham's first meeting with Jewish leaders since tapes were released in March revealing a 1972 conversation with President Richard Nixon in which the Southern Baptist evangelist expressed disdain for what he saw as Jewish domination of the media, aide Melany Ethridge said.

"This stranglehold has got to be broken or this country's going down the drain," Graham said to Nixon.

Rabbi George Barnard, president of the Cincinnati Board of Rabbis, said Graham told the small private group that his remarks were unforgivable. The group also included Michael Rapp, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Federation of Cincinnati, and Neil Bortz, president of the Jewish Federation.

"He doesn't remember them, and we accept that as fact," Rapp said. "He apologized, he repudiated the anti-Jewish sentiments that were attributed to him, and he hoped his actions on behalf of the Jewish people over the years contradicts the words he spoke."

In a statement in March, the frail, 83-year-old evangelist had said he had no memory of the meeting with Nixon, but deeply regretted the comments.

"They do not reflect my views and I sincerely apologize for any offense caused by the remarks," Graham said in the statement.

[Aleksandar Vojvoda]

Was the alleged Jewish stranglehold ever broken,in Mr. Graham's opinion?

[RCW2001]

Your asking ME??? /chuckle off!!!

[DoughtyOne]

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[Taiwan Bocks]

Did he also apologize for his compromise of the gospel
driven by his desire for unity?

[MoJo2001]

I'm still waiting for the apology from Abe Foxman regarding the slanderous report written by the ADL against the Religious Right. In times of need, who did Foxman end up appreciating?? Exactly! Then he condemns Reverend Graham's comments? I love Israel. I'm not sure about certain members of the American Jewish community. Face it, the more Liberal they are..the less tolerable they are!

[LarryLied]

Christians bug me sometimes. They are too "Christian". Graham doesn't want to make a deal about this, he doesn't want anyone upset, so he turns the other cheek and apologizes.

I admire those who can do that but it does not resonate with me.

People see it as weakness and roll over you ever more. Graham may spend the rest of his life apologizing.

To do this to an elderly man who never meant anyone any harm shows a lack of class.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Why would he, since he is not guilty of what you accuse?

[HiTech RedNeck]

I got a hunch that what Graham had had in mind was a relatively small group of crazy liberal atheistic no-Judaism Jews that have plagued America with things much worse than slanted news. Religious Jews generally don't cause problems for America. Atheistic Jews have brought us an intellectual legacy which may not be directly responsible for, but is certainly consonant with, the asinine Pledge of Allegiance court decision over which America is in an uproar.

[Salman]

Sheesh! It's not like he said it in public or even went around saying it in private. He was kissing up to Nixon, which wasn't very nice. To demand an apology thirty years on is around the bend.

[Salman]

I'm still waiting for the apology from Abe Foxman regarding the slanderous report...

Foxman is a shakedown artist pure and simple. It may not have been the main effect, but the purpose of that report was to play on Jewish fears to raise money.

[MoJo2001]

Christians bug me as well. I can think of just two that bug me more than any other two...Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

[LarryLied]

Not a small minority:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/684109/posts

[HiTech RedNeck]

Minority compared with the population of the USA they are exercising clout over. A similar, though vastly more tragic, situation is that of the gays.

[LarryLied]

Gotcha. Thought you meant a minority of the minority. Gays are tragic. However things are turning. The Nation had a long article about how stopping gays from becoming conservatives should be a liberal priority. Right now I believe 30% or so do vote GOP.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Clarification -- I believe the atheistic ringleaders, the ones who visibly whine, ARE a minority of the Jews. But there are a goodly slice of nominally religious (at best) Jewish sheeple who go along with the ringleaders. Virtually all truly religious Jews, those who actually care about worshiping God on a daily basis, don't go along with that program. This truly religious segment is a minority.