The Washington Post ombudsman said an offensive essay by Arun Gandhi on Jewish identity should not have been published.
In his Jan. 7 essay, published on Washingtonpost.com’s section called “On Faith,” which is run in conjunction with Newsweek, Gandhi said Jewish identity is tied up with the Holocaust and that dwelling on it has begun to “repulse friends.” He also said, “The Jewish identity in the future appears bleak … We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy humanity.”
In a piece published in the Washington Post on Sunday, ombudsman Deborah Howell said apologies should have come sooner from Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and On Faith’s moderators, Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn and Newsweek editor Jon Meacham.
Howell said Gandhi had posted the piece before it was seen by an editor.
Gandhi apologized on Jan. 10 and the moderators apologized Jan. 18. The moderators have said they will not remove the piece from the Web site. Gandhi has been asked to write another piece about what he has learned from the experience, and the On Faith panel will discuss it.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
