Dear Editor,
I was saddened to read the anti-Semitic trope from the lips of a formerly elected school board member who now sits as a member of our city council and seeks re-election November 5th.
Oscar de la Torre was quoted as saying "The biggest problem with the school board is that it's run by the Jews."
That evil out of his mouth was reported by two current and upstanding members of the school board in these pages. I was particularly chagrined because I endorsed his election to the school board. In fact we have worked together and advocated together from time to time over the past several decades. I expected more of him.
Sadly, his words express a frame of reference that diminishes a group of people based on their ethnicity and cultural heritage. It harkens back to an era of bigotry that led to religious wars and pogroms throughout Europe. No one in our time should be sitting in city leadership and espousing such thoughts, especially in a city that calls itself progressive.
But the human condition is fraught with such behavior. A few years ago, the Catholic Church repented of its antisemitism. And repentance is the appropriate response to being caught in bad behavior. But that is not what we have heard from de la Torre. Instead he has denied saying these words, questioned the timing of its coming to public awareness, and challenged the integrity of the person who made it public.
Frankly, I hope that the people of Santa Monica will not re-elect de la Torre. He has forfeited our trust and undermined his own credibility. He should ask our forgiveness.
Rev. Jim Conn, Santa Monica
