Dave Chappelle has angered many in the Jewish community after his comments on Israel — but a group that advocates for them is extending an olive branch if he’s willing to talk.
Spokesperson for the American Jewish Committee Richard Hirschhaut tells TMZ … they would like to sit down with Dave to help him understand why so many people were upset and how he can better handle this issue next time.
Chappelle was a 10/10
But if you go on Friday night and the crowd is about the same size as tonight – good luck.You would have thought this would be these guys’ first night out of the house since the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/UKMF3mGCA2
– Jim Murray (@bigjimmurray) October 20, 2023
@bigjimmurray
The AJC, a global advocacy group, says Dave’s first try discussing Israel-Palestine – during his show in Boston last week – missed the mark, adding… “Dave Chappelle prides himself on his linguistic precision and moral clarity. His comments made during last Friday’s show at TD Garden failed on both counts.”
They tell us that his initial condemnation of Hamas was great – but that he should have stopped. AJC continues: “By criticizing Israel’s retaliatory strikes and accusing the US of supporting the slaughter of innocent people, Chappelle turns the truth on its head. Make no mistake, slaughtering innocent people is exactly what Hamas did on October 7.”
Of course there were innocent Palestinians who were killed even after all that – even over 4,300, depending on which numbers you look at. The original Hamas attack demanded around 1,400 or so innocent Israeli lives.
In any case, the AJC believes DC needs to be more precise in its language — and they also believe it should know better at such a volatile time. In their opinion, by encouraging people to chant “Free Palestine,” he is creating a hostile and dangerous environment for the Jewish people, and if that happens again, it behooves him to ask what that means.
For them the answer is obvious… “Free Palestine” amounts to eliminating Israel.
Still, Richard says his organization “would welcome the opportunity to meet with Chappelle and his team to deepen his understanding of the current situation and enable him to provide more light than warmth in the future.”
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Based on Dave’s track record in other controversies…the AJC probably shouldn’t hold its breath. He does not do it tend to apologizeand he doesn’t often feel the need to sit down with someone after something like that.
Another organization that represents Jewish interests – StandWithUs – has some strong words for Dave. Roz RothsteinSays the co-founder and CEO: “If reports of Chappelle’s comments are true, it is deeply disappointing that he has once again used his platform to foment more division, misinformation and hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people. We applaud that.” Viewers who spoke out and left the show in protest.