Representative Tana Senn (D-Mercer Island), Chair of the House Jewish Caucus, released the following statement regarding Representative Jim Walsh’s anti-Semitic remarks and his wearing of a yellow Star of David comparing vaccination policies to the Holocaust:
“As a member of the Washington House of Representatives, Jewish Caucus leader and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I am appalled by Rep. Jim Walsh’s (R-Aberdeen) offensive remarks comparing lifesaving vaccines to the Holocaust.
“Let me be perfectly clear: equating the systemic extermination of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis to public health requirements meant to keep our community safe and healthy is an unacceptable trivialization of the horrors of the Holocaust, wildly irresponsible, and deeply anti-Semitic.
“Rep. Walsh’s signature on my House resolution recognizing Holocaust Remembrance Day certainly rings hollow in the face of his actions. I urge Rep. Walsh to visit Washington State’s own Holocaust Center for Humanity and speak with a Holocaust survivor to better understand the enormity of murdering 6 million Jews, including dozens of my family members.
“If we forget the horrors of the Holocaust, then we open the door for them to happen again. As we say, ‘Never Again.’
“As elected leaders, we should inspire and help our constituents, not feed the flames of hatred. We should all be appalled by the atrocities of the Holocaust, not spread misinformation and anti-Semitic rhetoric that minimizes it. There is no place for that type of extremism in the Washington Legislature.”