August 02, 2010
Fox News host Glenn Beck sent the following letter to ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman in response to an ADL letter raising concerns about on-air comments he made during a July 13 broadcast.
Mr. Foxman,
Thank you for the note and for reaching out to me.
As you assumed, it was certainly not my intention to say what I have been accused of saying. I strongly believe that it is a historical fact that the Romans, not the Jews, put Jesus to death and that fact has been confirmed by the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations.
Although the words I chose did not make this clear, I was trying to reference accusations that have been made against the Jews and how some of those accusations have led to horrors like the Inquisition as they were permitted to go unchallenged.
While as a non-Jew, I can never fully understand the suffering that has resulted from the historically inaccurate deicide charge, as someone with German heritage, I recognize the horrors that have been perpetrated on Jews throughout history and have asked if my ancestors knew what was taking place and looked the other way or how they could not have known of the horrors taking place.
Thank you again for reaching out to me, I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my thoughts and would welcome the chance to continue the dialogue so I can better understand the injustices that your organization is committed to fighting.
Sincerely,
Glenn Beck