US/World News

Atlanta Jewish Times removes essay by politician with far-right ties

(JTA) — The Atlanta Jewish Times has removed an op-ed by a former Georgia state legislator who has associated with figures on the far right. The piece by Vernon Jones was titled “How one Jewish family shaped my views: Vernon Jones recalls the family that inspired him to speak up for Jewish Americans.” It was removed from the newspaper’s website on Wednesday night, after a Jewish staffer for Stacey Abrams, the prominent voting rights activist in Georgia, called it “disgusting” on Twitter.

“Literally during the Days of Awe, @AtlJewishTimes is platforming a far-right extremist who held multiple rallies *LAST YEAR* with antisemites Alex Jones and holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, along with the head of the Proud Boys and other white supremacists,” Marisa Pyle wrote.

The editor, Kaylene Ladinsky, said in a statement that the op-ed was published by mistake. “The AJT is a bipartisan news source and we do not support white supremacists, nor extremists,” she said.

Jones, a one-time Democrat who is now running for the Republican nomination for Georgia governor, appeared at a rally last year at the Georgia Capitol protesting recounts that affirmed that Joe Biden had beaten incumbent Donald Trump in the state’s presidential count. Some of the extremists named by Pyle also attended the rally. Ladinsky also apologized to Pyle for telling a local television reporter that her tweets were “despicable” for launching a political debate during Rosh Hashanah. The editor had made her remarks about the Pyle tweets after the Jones op-ed was removed.

Main Photo: Vernon Jones, a former Georgia state lawmaker, participates in a discussion on the right to bear arms during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 27, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

SHARE
RELATED POSTS
Egypt refurbishes 14th- century synagogue
Marvin Hamlisch, award-winning composer
Two Academic Associations vote to boycott Israel

Leave Your Reply