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Rev. Eric Lee, president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Los Angeles, denies he said "the Jews have made money on us in the music business, and we are the entertainers, and they are economically enslaving us" — or anything else about Jews. But a detailed email from philanthropist Daphna Ziman insists she heard those words and more, then fled in tears from a banquet where she received the Tom Bradley Distinguished Citizen Award. Ziman's email is "spreading exponentially through Los Angeles' Jewish community and beyond," sparking what the Jewish Journal calls angry comments and criticism aimed at the Barack Obama campaign. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilman Bernard Parks and State Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas were at the banquet too. Excerpt from Ziman's email after the jump:
I have to tell you of an experience I had last night that was so anti semitic and frightening:Last night I was honored by Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, for my work with Children Uniting nations with African American children who are living out of home care.
[skip]
It was right after the mention of Malcolm X that he looked right at me and started talking about the African American children who are suffering because of the JEWS that have featured them as rapists and murderers.
He spoke of a Jewish Rabbi, and then corrected himself to say "What other kind of Rabbis are there, but JEWS". He told how this Rabbi came to him to say that he would like to bring the AA community and the Jewish community together. " NO, NO, NO,!!!!" he shouted into the crowd, we are not going to come together. "The Jews have made money on us in the music business and we are the entertainers, and they are economically enslaving us"
He continued as to how now the salvation has come and the gates have open for African Americans to come together behind Barack Obama, because now is the time to show them.(meaning thejews). He continued to speak about ' White supremecy' vs the talents and visionaries in the core of African Americans. He demeaned being given freedom, by saying "To what?" to a country that kills women and children.
I could no longer be polite and sit in front of the crowd, so I walked out.
Whole thing at the Jewish Journal. It broke first at the paper's God Blog.
* Rev. Lee apologizes: Villaraigosa and Parks say they left early. See update.