The following statement is adapted from one originally shared on July 10, 2020. Since publishing this statement, Mr. Jackson has expressed remorse for his comments and has participated in Holocaust education with Survivors.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg stands with ADL, AJC, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition in strongly condemning Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic social media posts promoting notorious anti-Semite, Louis Farrakhan, and a quote falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler. Although Mr. Jackson later posted that he ‘has no hate in his heart,’ his amplification of hate-filled messages sent a very different message. We commend the Eagles organization for speaking out forcefully against the posts and urging Mr. Jackson to apologize. We appreciate Mr. Jackson’s apology and his removal of the offensive posts, and we hope that he will take this opportunity to work with the Jewish community and become educated about the danger and perniciousness of anti-Semitism and all forms of hate.
Additionally, we encourage Mr. Jackson to accept offers to be educated about the Holocaust and the dangers of anti-Semitism and to participate in acts of community service where he can further atone for this hateful behavior.
On July 19, the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg co-sponsored a prayer service for racial unity at Italian Lake, hosted by Pennsylvania Council of Churches and Community Responders Network. We are grateful for this opportunity to learn and share with neighbor communities in our region.