Jewish Family Flees County After Fox News, Breitbart Falsely Blame It for Cancellation of Christmas

[riversedge]

Source: Slate





Dec. 22 2016 1:33 PM




A protest against the appointment of Steve Bannon, white nationalist and former Breitbart News head, to be chief strategist of the White House. Donald Trump’s victory spurred a wave of hate crimes and harassment, some of it anti-Semitic.
Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images

A Jewish family whose child attends an elementary school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania has fled the county out of fear for its safety following false reports on Fox News and Breitbart implying that the family forced the school to cancel a Christmas

Centerville Elementary School has put on a production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for years, but educators have grown concerned that the play requires 20 hours of classroom time to produce. Changing state educational standards no longer allow for that luxury, Principal Tom Kramer noted in a post explaining why the school had cancelled the play. Educators also called off the production because they wished “to be respectful of the many cultural and religious backgrounds represented by the students.” (A Christmas Carol is unmistakably Christian.)

By coincidence, a Jewish family had requested that their child be excused from performing in the play back in September. They did not complain or ask that the play be cancelled, and the school insists that their request had nothing to do with the decision to cancel the production. But as Breitbart and Fox News’ Todd Starnes reported the story, “unnamed parents” complained about the line “God bless us, every one” and essentially forced the school to scrap the play.



These untrue claims fit neatly into both outlets’ “War on Christmas” narrative—and, as intended, sparked outrage among readers. “It would be nice if we had the addresses of those concerned citizens and, I bet, this info is known to people living in the area,” one commenter wrote in response to the Breitbart story. Several commenters posted the address of the school, and a self-professed white nationalist urged others to “take action.”

Lancaster Online reports that the Jewish parents who asked to excuse their child from the play were so unnerved by these reactions that they pulled their child out of school and fled the county. “There’s no way we’re going to take a chance after the pizza incident,” one parent said, referring to the man who fired his assault rifle in a pizza restaurant after reading fake news stories alleging that the pizzeria housed a child sex ring run by Hillary Clinton. The parents say their child was also harassed by classmates after the school canceled the play in November....................................


Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/12/22/jewish_family_flees_county_following_fox_news_breitbart_stories.html

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O'Lielly has been spouting off about his crazy War on Christmas for years--Now he has Cannon about to enter the WH! Give that an armed man entered a pizza place and shot off his gun over a conspiracy --I would be deadly afraid for my family also.

[bdamomma]

1. some people have lost

their moral compass and tolerance. our civilization is deteriorating.

[Warpy]

2. Maybe they'll contact the ACLU and SUE

That's what has to happen, kick them hard in the corporate wallet (and hope it sticks through appeal) so that it becomes unprofitable to attack random private citizens.

Then we can work on what they do to public figures.

[Mc Mike]

27. Or the SPLC. nt.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Once upon a time these people used to refer to themselves as the "moral majority." Crazy, isn't it?

It's everyone ELSE who's just not fit to live.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Mental rigidity on parade

These are places they would brag about being 'closed-minded' - IF
they knew what it meant.

[still_one]

5. I wonder if they can sue both fox and breitbart? This is just bullshit

[baldguy]

6. People who whine about the "War on Christmas" really, really hate Christmas.

This story proves it.

[elmac]

7. and, at the same time this is happening

Israel is kissing, sniffing sniffles ass, trying to work him against Obama over the UN vote

[Behind the Aegis]

12. Which has exactly NOTHING to do with the story.

Funny, how some always make that "connection."

[DavidDvorkin]

14. Yes, it's an utterly predictable kneejerk reaction.

[elmac]

16. Yawn

[elmac]

17. Some people on DU

have nothing better to do then complain about stuff they do not understand or about anything period.

[Behind the Aegis]

20. As your post demonstrates.

[Feeling the Bern]

23. Let me get this. Bullying a kid and frightening a family to flee because of a lie is somehow

excusable because. . .Israel?

All Jews are the same. And I only thought deplorables thought these way.

[oberliner]

18. What does Israel have to do with this?

Very bizarre post.

[Feeling the Bern]

22. Nice. stick to the story, pal!

I don't want to get my post blocked, so I will bite my tongue hard enough for blood to come out.

[jpak]

8. My Jewish family members always say

"They always come for the Jews."

Troll Pogroms are the New Normal under Trump.

yup

[murielm99]

9. This is such stupidity.

Anyone who wants to can opt out of a holiday program or classroom party. We have kids here who are Jehovah's Witnesses. They never take part in any of this. The children are quietly excused to go home early. We have Muslims and Hindu people here as well. I don't know what they do. My town is very small, but I think we try to accommodate everyone. I hope this is not OT, but I am sick and tired of all this crap where we can't respect each each other's beliefs.

[montana_hazeleyes]

10. Truth be told,

"Christmas" has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus. It is really just a celebration of winter with most every custom having roots in pagan religions-rites.

[whathehell]

30. Truth be told..

Most every holiday, non-Christian ones included, has it's roots in some previous culture. That doesn't cancel out the the current meaning or legitimacy.

[montana_hazeleyes]

47. Not meaning to offend, whathehell.

I am Christian myself. I'm aiming it at those who think Christmas is the only legitimate holiday.

It's not as they think it is, entirely.

[whathehell]

48. Ok..Regarding "Happy holidays", I always thought it meant "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year"

but if it included Hanukkah, that was fine too...Such an absurdly petty and divisive "issue".






.

[Shoonra]

11. Family went on sudden "vacation" - didn't flee

An update on Slate to its original story makes a correction:

The Jewish family didn't "flee" the county - - they just took an unscheduled "vacation" until the fuss cooled down.

[Demit]

13. Not sudden, where'd you get that? Previously-planned, acc. to the ADL.

The ADL spoke to the family. Which evidently the local reporter for "Lancaster Online," the origin of the story, did not do.

http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/miscellaneous/adl-calls-reports-of-family-lancaster.html

[LuvNewcastle]

26. It's morphed away from religious significance.

When you consider that the entire Christmas story is a fabrication, a story from other religions that is written to illustrate a deeper truth. And people take it word for word as if it's a record of actual events. The whole holiday is a joke. It's just an excuse to drink too much and spend a lot of money. But hey, if people want to have their holiday and feel good for a while, I'm not going to stand in the way.

[Sunlei]

36. Thats what SLATE does, spread the hate to embolden haters & then 'update' the headline. FUCK them.

That hate tabloid shouldn't be allowed in breaking news.

[question everything]

15. Do these yahoos realize that the Kushners - Trump daughter and son in law -

probably do not observe Christmas?

[pstokely]

19. can't they sue?

they outta

[Sunlei]

35. They should sue the school district for not doing anything about students 'bullying' over this.

Same thing goes for the town administration, sue the crap out of the mayor and every town official.

[Feeling the Bern]

21. There is no place for us Heb, Yids, Hymies and Joos in modern day Trumpmerica.

We are just as bad. We're not on the same level as Muslims, but that will come. Even Hitler had people to crush before he targeted Jews, namely Communists and Homosexuals.

Now, when I posted something about wanting to beat the shit out of teenagers who made swastika cupcakes, I got villified.

The only want to deal with Nazis and bigots is to beat them into the ground until they see the error of their ways. I'm tired of being nice while they do this shit.

They will do it to me as a Jew. They will do it to my wife as a foreign born Chinese woman. They will do it to my former Mexican students. They will do it to my boss and my partners because they are black.

When is enough truly enough? When the fucking camps and ovens open? Shit, they targeted my mother after her stroke last month because she is Mohawk and not white. FUCKING MOHAWK!!! A NATIVE FUCKING AMERICAN!!!!

I hate these motherfuckers and I hate what my country has become.

[ck4829]

24. It's terrorism, plain and simple

[kag]

25. Yes!

That was my reaction precisely!

[whathehell]

28. In cancelling the play, the school overreacted to the family's request, imo

and needlessly made it worse for them. There was no need to cancel a Christmas play out of "respect" to anyone. That's the action which brought on the brouhaha for which this family was mistakenly blamed...They could have simply complied with the family's wishes and gone on as before.

[Sunlei]

37. you're exactly right. On top of that the first night of Hanukkah is Christmas eve this year.

That date fact- could have easily been written into a kids play with a line or two and made the play inclusive of all people.

[whathehell]

43. Thank you..

and you're right, adding Hanukkah would have been a good idea.

[truebluegreen]

41. Exactly wrong.

Article and post specifically state that the parents did not request cancellation, nor did the school cancel because of anything the parents did. The real reason was changed educational requirements that did not permit 20 hours preparation time.

[whathehell]

42. Read the post again

as I never blamed the parents.

[truebluegreen]

45. whoops.

replied to wrong post; see reply #44

[truebluegreen]

44. I read it.

Family didn't "request", therefore school didn't "overreact" to family's request by cancelling the play.

"In cancelling the play, the school overreacted to the family's request, imo"

[whathehell]

49. Then read this..

Again..I didn't SAY the family requested the play to be cancelled, I was referring to their request that their child not participate...THAT is the request I was speaking of...Get it now?

[Feeling the Bern]

50. Yes, how dare a Jewish family request their Jewish child be extempt from being in a Christian

play about a Christian holiday we Jews don't even fucking celebrate.

Damn all you other non-Christian religions for not being Christian.

[whathehell]

54. Do you think this was the school's attitude?

Maybe I missed something, but I don't see how the school was saying that at all...If anything, their request seemed to be make them consider if staging the play wasn't in itself insensitive to religious minorities. THAT, I think was an overreaction, but not one that reflected hostility to non-Christians -- more like the opposite

The only way I can read this as a "hostile" action, is if the school authorities KNEW that can telling the play would bring on a hostile reaction, ...That would indeed be ugly. Whatever the intent, it IS very unfortunate that this family had to endure the fallout. It really sucks.

[truebluegreen]

51. You said the school overreacted to the family's request,

(which you didn't specify btw) and said they needlessly cancelled the play out of respect. Now you say that you didn't say what you said?

Whatevs.

[whathehell]

53. Yes, and I didn't think I needed to be specific as their request

was already specified in the post. My point was, the parent's request seems to have unintentionally caused the school to fear they were being "insensitive" to religious minorities simply by staging the play and so they cancelled it. That's what I meant by "overreacting".

[DonViejo]

29. Late update Dec. 23, 8:33 a.m.

Late update Dec. 23, 8:33 a.m.: The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement late Thursday disputing that the family in question fled its home and asserting that they had instead left on a pre-planned vacation.

“News reports alleging that a Jewish family has ‘fled’ Lancaster County are untrue and damaging,” the ADL's regional director, Nancy Baron-Baer, said in the statement. “We spoke with the family, who explained that they went on a previously-planned vacation for the holidays. Stories like this can sow fear in the Jewish community and beyond, and it is important to stop the spread of misinformation."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jewish-family-leaves-lancaster-county-fox-breitbart

[mpcamb]

40. Let's play "UPROAR"! The story posted for 14 hrs before the retraction date.

This is some obvious goosing of the public.
It sat there for that amount of time to suit someone's purpose, not because the pieces couldn't be put together.
We're left to figure out who planted it and for what benefit.

There are more that 2 dozen predictable reactions above.
Like a lot of the crap the republicans have pulled over the last couple decades it keep a segment of the public occupied, misdirected and in the end exhausted.
It's very effective.

[left-of-center2012]

31. "The parents told the ADL that they left on vacation and did not flee.

Also, I believe in Latest Breaking News you're supposed to use the title of the article, which is:

"Fox News, Breitbart Falsely Suggest Jewish Family Is to Blame for Cancellation of Christmas Play"
and not the one you used.

Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.

[wordpix]

32. Xmas Carol story is not religious, it's humanist

While it's set at Xmas time, the point is Scrooge only cares about money, nothing about people. The ghosts show him how he's viewed by others, and Scrooge changes to a kind, benevolent man.

Great story that has nothing to do with Christ, the trinity or religion. It has to do with a stingy money grubber who changed. Dickens was a genius. Too bad a family had to leave their home over mean spirited people spreading false news.

[Sunlei]

33. seems like the constant years of media coverage of Republican hate emboldens the worse at local lev

at local levels.

[Imajika]

34. Fake News - sad to see it is still on Latest Breaking...

The Anti-Defamation League has disputed the story. The family is simply on a pre-planned vacation. The entire thing is nonsense.

[ronnie624]

38. My advice to liberals, is to drop the bogus "fake news" meme,

as it will eventually bite them on the ass. There has always been"fake news". It came with the developement of verbal communication.

[Imajika]

39. Agreed. I used the term because so many here have been using it...

...and I found it rather sad that with all the complaining about 'fake news", here is an obvious bogus story sitting here on Latest Breaking.

I agree that totally fraudulent news making the rounds is a problem (particularly on the kook right), but who is going to be the arbiter of what is "real" and what is "fake". Even fringy websites that produce a lot of sketchy stuff still cover stories the mainstream media won't touch and occasionally at least point people to a story that should get a second look.

In this case though, this particular "news" is just flat dogcrap as best I can tell.

[oberliner]

46. It's not fake news

Everything about the story is true except for the "fleeing" part.

[DonCoquixote]

52. Hey Ivanka Trump

The same people Steve Bannon used to put poppy in office are just sharpening their knives for when they get to go after your children, and you know it. When the Shoah came, many jews, rich and poor, found themselves in the same place, and you know many of your Dad's supporters want to put YOU there.