Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara has issued this official statement following her antisemitic tweet and Twitter apology:
Yesterday, I sent out a tweet expressing my disappointment in the eighth circuit court’s ruling regarding boycotts not being protected under the 1st amendment.
Since then, I have learned that the phrase I used in my tweet reinforces anti-Semitic tropes that endanger the Jewish community.
Over the last 24 hours, I was contacted by community members and constituents who encouraged me to be self-reflective and accountable, and I am grateful for your care.
To those I hurt with my statement, I understand the harm I’ve caused, and thank you for engaging with me honestly. I am committed to rebuilding trust and learning how to better be in solidarity with all Jewish people.
I understand now that the phrase I used contributes to a culture of increased white supremacist and anti-Semitic violence. These anti-Semitic tropes are insidious, and I’m committed to weeding them out in myself and my community.
As a Black woman, I never want to use any language that promotes violence or further dehumanizes anyone. Although reinforcing a harmful narrative was not my intention, the impact is the same, and I should’ve known better. For making this mistake, I am genuinely sorry.
In my years as a community organizer and now as an elected official, I have worked closely with various Jewish organizations in Boston on unlearning anti-Black racism and building more racially just organizations.
In that work, I asked Jewish people to reflect on how white supremacy and anti-Black racism are embedded in our lives and organizations.
I want the multiracial Jewish community to know they can expect that same rigorous commitment from me when it comes to unlearning anti-Semitism in a world that regularly divides and dehumanizes all oppressed people.
The safety of all marginalized communities is intertwined. None of us are safe until we are rid of white supremacy in all of its forms. I hope that by taking this moment seriously, I can help us move one step closer to succeeding in that effort.
I want to thank all the constituents, rabbis, faith leaders, organizers, and Jewish organizations for their fire and grace.
You’ve helped me move through this moment– often across political differences– and helped me arrive at the beginning, not the end, of what will be a long process of growth and healing. Thank you.
In Solidarity,
Kendra Lara
I doubt the sincerity of this, just like I doubted the sincerity of her initial Twitter apology. As I wrote at the time:
Starting with “my mentions are in shambles” is hardly the way to suggest real contrition, but rather victimhood. And the controversy surrounding Ilhan Omar’s “it’s all about the Benjamins” tweet should have provided Lara with the knowledge that suggesting “Zionists” control people with money is an antisemitic trope.
I also provided a screenshot from ‘Rabbi’ Linda Goldstein, a parody account set up to expose the lies and hypocrisy of the haters. It shows Lara’s direct message to ‘her’, which indicates she is anything but contrite about tweeting about the antisemitic trope of Jewish or ‘Zionist’ control:
Since my post, Lara has dug herself an even deeper hole, messaging ‘Rabbi’ Linda again:
She is responding to the good Rabbi’s Tweet exposing her initial direct message:
Thank you @CllrKendraLara for your moral clarity. We need to do more to ensure anti-#Zionists don’t trip on #Antisemitism pic.twitter.com/8aMMxl8Xx0
— Rabbi Linda Goldstein 🇵🇸🏳️🌈 (@RabbiLindaGold1) June 24, 2022
In other words, Lara still doesn’t understand she is being played by someone exposing her antisemitism. Smart she is not.
But more than that, her latest message indicates she is trying to engage in damage control – which, unfortunately, seems to have worked. Jewish organizations like the ADL have fallen for her “apology” hook, line and sinker:
Now I do believe in the ability of people to repent; I just also believe in looking at all the available evidence to ascertain whether someone is being genuine or disingenuous. Here, all signs point towards the latter. It is just a shame the ADL and others are dropping the ball again.
