White House correspondent Helen Thomas retired from the Hearst Corporation today after making a controversial statement about Israel May 27. Her retirement ended a 50-year career as a White House correspondent.
Thomas had been scheduled to speak at graduation June 14, but principal Alan Goodwin asked Thomas to step down as the speaker over the weekend.
“Graduation is supposed to be a cohesive event, where we all celebrate the achievements of seniors together,” Goodwin said. “We’re trying to keep graduation a positive experience for all.”
People from around the country have been e-mailing Goodwin and calling the school both supporting and opposing his decision to choose to a different speaker.
“There were some very disappointed people — not so much in the Whitman community, but I’m hearing from other people,” he said. “I’m getting responses from all over the United States right now. Ninety-nine percent of them agree with the decision, but I have a few that don’t.”
Over a hundred students have joined the group “Helen Thomas should’ve been our graduation speaker.” Senior Will Bartlett created the group Sunday night in an effort to show respect for Thomas’ achievements, even though he understood that Thomas wouldn’t be the speaker.
“She’s one of the more recognizable faces in Washington, probably in the country,” said Todd Gillman, Washington Bureau Chief with the Dallas Morning News. “I think this is a very sad way for her career to end.”
Kay Mills, a former journalist for United Press International, used to work for Thomas, who she said was a leader in the feminist movement for journalists.
“Women used to have to sit in the balcony when speakers would come to the Press Club, which meant they couldn’t ask questions, and they couldn’t get down to the phones as fast as the men could, back in the day when it mattered how fast you could get to the phones,” she said. “Helen was one of the leaders in getting women admitted to the National Press Club on a fully equal basis. I’m sorry to see her leave.”
During a Jewish Heritage month celebration at the White House, Thomas told an interviewer from rabbilive.com that Israelis should “get the hell out of Palestine” and go “home to Poland and Germany.” Thomas issued an apology on her website June 4.
Senior Erica Bloom organized an event on Facebook over the weekend to petition against Helen Thomas speaking at graduation. Several Whitman parents and around 30 students rallied behind Bloom on Facebook in an effort to get Goodwin to find a new graduation speaker for the ceremony.
“As a Jewish person who lived in Israel for two months, I found it hurtful that she said to send us back to where we belong,” Bloom said. “I feel like, as a Jewish person who believes that going to Israel and living in Israel is a part of the religion and a part of who I am, that Israel is the homeland. She said to leave and go home, but home is Israel.”
Even though many students are angered by Thomas’ comments, around 215 students were “not attending” the protest because they felt Thomas’ political opinions didn’t have an impact on her credibility as a commencement speaker.
“I would pass on hearing about her insulting and flawed political views any day,” senior Dena Goodman wrote on the Facebook event. “However, we would definitely be passing up a great opportunity to hear her speak about her really long life and impressive career.”
Goodwin will announce the new graduation speaker by the end of the week.
OhPlease • Jun 15, 2010 at 5:54 am
I graduated from Whitman a while ago and I see that not much has changed since the time Mr. Davidson made the choir sing Hatikva during the Winter concert in 2000 “to show solidarity with the Jews suffering in Israel”. Anyway.
First and foremost, since when is God in the business of real estate? The woman expressed a badly worded opinion but wow, Arabs are Semites too and I really wish WWHS would just chill the hell out with its permanent pro-Israeli stance.
AU • Jun 10, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Shtuff, your first comment is wrong. I think the number is more like around 1337 people.
Shtuff • Jun 10, 2010 at 4:08 pm
The optimal foreign policy for the US right now would be to do a barrel roll.
Whitman, Class of '76 • Jun 10, 2010 at 1:57 am
Alex Booth’s ignorance is mind boggling. For starters, he denies that a country named Israel even exists. He describes the country that doesn’t exist as “religiously intolerant”. Of course, this country actually has the most religiously diverse population of any nation in the mideast — and the greatest freedom of religion (do we need to also mention free press and free speech?)
To suggest that the media isn’t capable of reporting events or that Jews are somehow silencing the media is another amazingly ignorant comment. Mr. Booth describes Israeli “crimes”, somehow forgetting to mention literally hundreds of acts of Palestinian terrorism (in various forms, going back a century) and most recently thousands of rockets fired at civilians.
Sadly, this is the sort of ignorance that hurts Palestinians the most. Those people who deny there is a country of Israel inspire those to continue an awful struggle. They encourage those who want to destroy Israel to fight an eternal fight. The biggest victim of this mentality are the Palestinians.
Sorry Mr. Booth, the 7 million or so residents of Israel aren’t going to die to satisfy you. But a lot more Palestinians will die in the quest of your dark vision.
Shtuff • Jun 9, 2010 at 10:23 pm
People need to get their facts right. Do you know how many people have died in the conflict? It’s over 9000!
Rivka92 • Jun 9, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Out of curiosity, why didn’t the B&W write an opinion on this? Would have been a good topic considering the debate! And the opinion section is lacking…
Alex Booth • Jun 8, 2010 at 2:19 pm
As a Whitman alum, it saddens me that most people that have commented here are grossly uninformed (or misinformed) about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Zionists have done a fantastic job of silencing those who wish to reveal the crimes and ethnic cleansing they have committed and continue to commit to this day in Palestine. It is unfortunate that many in our community have been indoctrinated from a young age to believe such lies, and even more unfortunate that Whitman has taken no measures to educate students on the true history of the conflict.
I won’t get into the issue of whether or not Helen Thomas should have been allowed to speak at your commencement as it is water under the bridge at this point. I would, however, like to go through some important facts about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that many people that have commented above me are simply incorrect about.
First of all, while small numbers of Jews have resided in Palestine throughout history, Israelis can in no way claim ownership over Palestine. In 1914 the Jewish population in Palestine was roughly 7%, whereas in 1950 it had grown to 50%. By 1970 it was over 70%.
The Palestinians are in fact occupied and discriminated against in a religiously intolerant state to this day. In 1947-1948 the Zionists conducted a comprehensive ethnic cleansing of Arabs residing in Palestine, marching from village to village massacring people based on their ethnic and religious makeup to make room for Israeli settlers. This is an obvious reason for the large swing in population percentages between Jews and Arabs in Palestine during the twentieth century. I suggest anyone interested in learning more should read a book called “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” written by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe.
Lastly, I would like to comment on Zionism in present day America, and in our very community. Israeli lobby groups such as AIPAC have the monetary means to silence those who speak out against Israel, and hateful websites such as Campus Watch have been set up to threaten and bully educators who attempt to reveal the truth about Israeli history. This is a very powerful force in the United States, and is much of the reason there is so much misinformation about the conflict. Those of you who spoke about the feelings of Holocaust survivors–I question you as to why you think it is appropriate to use that horrible experience as a weapon to guilt others into silence who wish to speak out against a similar but equally horrific situation of injustice and killing based on ethnicity and religion in the Middle East. I urge you all to read a book called “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” written by Harvard’s Stephen Walt and Chicago’s John Mearsheimer if you would like to learn more about this issue of Zionism is the contemporary United States.
I’m sure my comments will provoke disagreement and hatred, but I hope that at least some of you can take something from what I’ve said and begin to form a more educated opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
R. Kerr • Jun 8, 2010 at 11:43 am
“To be an anti-semite is NOT to be against Israel’s actions in regards to the Flotilla or Israeli settlements in Gaza. Erica’s inability to distinguish between the two suggests a lack of knowledge and juvenile response.”
Isn’t she a student? Technology may make peoples’ attitudes more visible, but this power does not necessarily change their strengths and limitations.
I don’t know this student, but I’m sure what happened was similar to what we’ve all probably done at some point – get really upset about something and post about it in the heat of the moment on the Internet.
R. Kerr • Jun 8, 2010 at 11:34 am
Thomas spoke at my college. I remember her talk being somewhat interesting, despite the weird vibe.
However, I definitely think Dr. Goodwin made the right decision here. The national drama has very little to do with our graduation ceremony. Controversy aside, its only importance is whether it would cloud the importance of the ceremony itself, which I’m sure it would have.
I am glad to work at a school with such a cool-headed administration.
Enough • Jun 8, 2010 at 6:16 am
Ok, everyone has opinions (myself included) and I’m glad that many felt the need to protest Dr. Goodwin’s decision, but it’s done. Would you honestly rather have a speaker in which many people feel personally hurt or didn’t come at all to their own graduation, or a speaker that no one hates, regardless of whether their reasons are just. Dr. Goodwin explicitly said in his email/ letter that those who would like to hear Thomas speak can at a later date, so no more complaining because Everyone is a winner in this decision.
Whitman, Class of '76 • Jun 8, 2010 at 2:01 am
Helen Thomas essentially said Israel should be wiped off the map. It wasn’t “go back to Tel Aviv”. It was for the Israelis to leave the region. I’m amazed how many people think this wouldn’t be highly offensive to a substantial portion of the Whitman student body. With each generation, we’ve witnessed prejudices diminish in so many areas: race, sexual orientation, gender and religion among them. Thomas is entitled to her prejudices, but surely Whitman can find a graduation speaker that speaks to the hope of the future, not the bigotry of the past.
Morgan Freeman • Jun 7, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Three comments:
1. I don’t think Helen Thomas is anti-Semitic. I think, at 89, she is losing her filter, and is becoming increasingly unable to speak what she actually believes. However, she does not hate Jews. That being said, I do not think she should have been the graduation speaker, as she would have taken away attention from the graduating seniors, and enough seniors would have been turned off by her comments that they wouldn’t have listened to what she had to say.
2. The controversy is not Erica Bloom’s fault at all. You all give her far too much credit, or blame. Dr. Goodwin received, in his own words, “hundreds” of emails from the Whitman community over the weekend on this issue, both in support of and against Thomas. The Facebook event didn’t even reach Goodwin’s ears until after the decision had been made.
3. The statements made by Ms. Thomas are not empirically anti-Semitic (in my opinion), but that doesn’t mean members of the Jewish community don’t have a right to be offended by them. So please, stop calling this an “overreaction” by Erica Bloom and other Whitman students, because you have no idea what their background is or why they are so offended (i.e. member of their family was killed in the Holocaust).
That is all…
Whitman Student • Jun 7, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Although it is debatable whether Helen’s comments were anti semetic or not, the controversy surrounding them would have stolen the spotlight from the Whitman graduating class. Also at the parent who said this Erica’s fault, you are wrong. This is solely Helen’s fault for making poorly worded comments that were definitely made in the wrong atmosphere. Erica had a right to feel offended as a jew and someone who lived in Israel regardless of whether you the parent or anyone else agrees. Also, Whitman has a large Jewish population which based on what people are saying has been largely offended by her comments.
just a student • Jun 7, 2010 at 9:27 pm
I guarantee that before this scandal broke, 90% of the Whitman senior class knew nothing about Helen Thomas, besides the fact that she was a well-known Journalist. Thomas is not known to be a great speaker or as obviously proved by her comment, a well-thought out one. I seriously doubt there was any Whitman student who was crossing off the days on their calendar in eager anticipation of listening to Thomas. A graduation, as proven correctly by Dr. Goodwin, is meant to be a time of celebration and joy, not a time for conflict and problems.
As a Whitman student, I am much more hurt and offended by the comments of my peers than Thomas’s words. I don’t know Thomas, and all her comments proved to me was that she was uneducated and senile. The same argument does not apply to my peers, however. Walking through the hallways today, everyone seemed to be talking about the Thomas crises. However, instead of this issue triggering an informative and interesting debate, all I heard was calls for blame. Point to one level-headed discussion, because I can’t find any. On facebook, in the hallways, and everywhere else, students are arguing what they think is the “cool, ultra-liberal” side. At least, that’s what it seems to me, because the hundreds of “Israel is terrorizing all the other Middle Eastern countries” and “Seriously, I agree with Thomas, all the people in Israel should just go back to where they came from” are either not supported at all, or backed up by propaganda websites. The Israel-Palestine crisis is extremely interesting, and could be a great discussion. However, that is not what has happened. Comments are quickly transforming from ill-informed to highly offensive. Today, hearing all of these comments, I did not feel intrigued to engage in discussion, but attacked and alone.
Erica Bloom has especially faced the heat of this. But I believe that is extremely hypocritical. All of the students who so greatly want Thomas to speak are arguing that not allowing her to would be infringing on our freedom of speech. Well, isn’t that exactly what Erica was doing? Wasn’t she only expressing her own beliefs on her own private Facebook page? Yes, she made a facebook group, but did anyone force you to join it? Does she really deserve anti-semetic slurs on her Facebook profile, such as, “Is this because you didn’t get that Mustang you wanted for Hannukah?” or ” its because she likes attention, which is similar to most ____. you can put whatever word you would like there.” No, she doesn’t.
I feel like I am speaking for the majority of students who see Goodwin’s decision as justifiable and understood. We aren’t saying that Thomas’s comments are anti-semetic nor are we saying that they are correct. All we are saying is that a graduation should be a time for class unity. And all this has done is make many, like myself, feel like outcasts.
Mandy Katz • Jun 7, 2010 at 9:21 pm
I call on all commenters on this topic to use their full names, especially parents. It’s a healthy reminder not to write anything online we couldn’t say to one another in person.
It’s especially important here because, regardless of how one feels about Israel, the Helen Thomas matter cuts to the heart of how we treat fellow members of our school community. Several here have, like the new Facebook page, dismissed as “a small minority” Erica Bloom and others (including me, a parent) in favor of Ms. Thomas’s withdrawal.
A “minority:” Isn’t that the point?
When Westboro Baptist Church spewed hate on the sidewalk in front of our school, our students turned out by the hundreds to speak for the minority. they targeted. Every minority in our community likewise deserves respect and, nowhere more than at a graduation celebration, deference to personhood.
Because I respect the obstacles she hurdled for women journalists (I am one), I was saddened by Thomas’s remarks. I am also willing to grant that they may have sprung more from senile dementia than a long-held antipathy.
But that doesn’t make them less hateful: There is no “home” in Poland or Germany for Jews who fled those places and whose relatives were slaughtered there, nor is there a “home” Jews could return to in inhospitable countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Ethiopia. Besides, as Erica has pointed out, Jews have lived in “Palestine” as long as any peoples.
Now consider another minority: the Holocaust survivors and relatives of victims and survivors who undoubtedly will sit in our midst Monday, as eager as anyone to cheer our grads. Do their feelings not count? Are they not worthy and cherished members, minority or not, of our community?
In closing, news reports have referred to an “apology” from Ms. Thomas but there was none. Apologies include the words “I am sorry.” Sometimes, they are accompanied by explanations. The statement on HelenThomas.org was merely an admission of “regret.” We can try all we like to explain away the remarks, but she made them, at the White House, and they sting. She does not belong on the Whitman dais.
lovaaaa • Jun 7, 2010 at 9:10 pm
All political aspects aside, it really is a good thing she’s not the speaker. There would be just to much controversy- whether or not she had insightful things to say is besides the point. the controversy would take the spotlight away from the graduates and they’re the whole reason everyone’s there in the first place. they worked hard for four years and deserve to have a drama-free celebration of their accomplishments
yukyukyuk? • Jun 7, 2010 at 8:23 pm
First of all, 89% of all statistics are completely made up. It’s pretty clear based on the Facebook event that a majority of those invited (a total of 400+) were perfectly fine with Helen Thomas speaking at graduation, based on the 200+ “Not Attending” RSVPs to the event.
Also, at this point just about everyone has an opinion about this issue, and has had the “courage” to speak their mind. Whitman Parent is, by commenting on this article, speaking his/her mind. I don’t see you lauding them for their “courage.” I think it’s an exaggeration to apportion ALL the blame to Erica, but I don’t think it should be a surprise that she’s getting crap for this. She definitely stuck her neck out in creating the event/complaining, and nobody should be surprised that there’s backlash. And I think the vocal opposition to Erica, et al, is demonstrative of the fact that a LARGE portion of Whitman does NOT agree with her.
Personally, I think that while Helen Thomas’ comments were thoughtless and counterproductive, they were NOT Anti-Semitic. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a sensitive issue, and I think as a result, this is being blown way out of proportion.
Response to Whitman Parent • Jun 7, 2010 at 8:07 pm
To the first Whitman Parent commenter (the 4th comment on this page:
how dare you. First of all Erica is completely right and you, Whitman Parent, are wrong. This opinion does not represent a small portion of Whitman, I guarantee that I could get more than 75% of the school to agree that she shouldn’t speak. Your last sentence was especially hateful, that is very low of you to “blame” someone who has the courage to speak her mind when others hide, if this gets out of hand, YOU will be to blame.
Whitman Alum • Jun 7, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Could not agree more with BernieMac309. Thomas’ response wasn’t necessarily anti-semitic, but was still extremely poorly-worded and mean-spirited. Goodwin had no choice but to cancel her appearance, as it would have easily taken attention away from the graduation of a senior class that certainly deserves a controversey-free and celebratory event for themselves.
Even so, Erica’s actions on Facebook, while with its good intentions, were selfish and misinformed. The fact that she made her status “Erica Bloom man is anti-semitism on the rise in America. I wish i was in israel right now :(” was selfish and offensive to the Whitman community. And her belief that anti-Israel=anti-semitism is completely false. While I applaud Erica’s clear passion for Israel and the Jewish community, as well as her bravery to turn her words to actions, I, like others, am disappointed in her false claims and selfish responses.
BernieMac309 • Jun 7, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Helen Thomas’ statement was incredibly uncalled for and poorly worded. As someone who looked up to her and her outstanding journalism career, and even someone who was looking forward to hearing her speak at my commencement, I lost a lot of respect for her amidst this chaos. Given the diviseness that’s arisen as a result, I think it was a good idea to cancel her as the speaker. She has every right to hold those views about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (though one might add if Jews were to really “go home” they would go back to Israel, where they were BEFORE the arabs even came, long before Palestine existed and long before 1947), but as someone in such a high position with a lot of eyes on her, she should have been able to phrase her thoughts differently.
Having said that, I am deeply disappointed in Erica Bloom’s reaction. I’m glad that she brought Thomas’ actions to everyone’s attention, and she had every right to create a Facebook group in protest. But Ms. Bloom, along with a number of other students on Facebook, threw around the term anti-semite without any true thought given to its meaning. Ms. Bloom also repeated that Thomas is a long known anti-semite, again, something that simply is not true. To be an anti-semite is NOT to be against Israel’s actions in regards to the Flotilla or Israeli settlements in Gaza. Erica’s inability to distinguish between the two suggests a lack of knowledge and juvenile response.
Whitman Parent 2 • Jun 7, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Thomas’ comments were not just about Israel – when she said “they” should go back to Poland, Germany and America, who was she speaking about if not “Jews?” Her views that they should “go home” imply if not state outright that Jews do not belong in what she calls occupied Palestine, and denies the existence and right of existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish homeland. In her “statement of regret,” she did not disavow these beliefs, nor did she apologize. She believes that the Jews are interlopers, occupiers, and have no right to live there. This is not a mere political disagreement – it is an existential question. Having her speak — particularly now — would be a distraction to the Whitman community. She can and should be invited back to discuss these views and her decades at the White House, but not in the immediate wake of these bigoted comments.
She did NOT comment on the Palestinians as a whole — she did not call for the dissolution of the nation of Jordan (or TransJordan), or say that the Jordanians should cede land to the Palestinians – no, only the Jews from Germany and Poland.
Whitman Student • Jun 7, 2010 at 5:50 pm
In response to the Whitman Parent–
If you haven’t paid attention to the media or celebrities in the past decade, let me explain something to you, no issued apologies come from the heart. Any apology a celebrity issues is because they are sorry that they got in trouble, not because they’re sorry for saying or doing something. Also, if you honestly expected Dr. Goodwin to bring unneeded publicity into the school during graduation, you would have been wrong. No matter what you think of the issue it is obvious that the controversy surrounding Ms. Thomas would be a larger issue than the seniors graduating, which clearly doesn’t qualify her as an excellent speaker. And before you jump to blame Whitman students, consider that your views aren’t the only ones that matter, and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
MnM • Jun 7, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Why does the article say she’s been correspondent for 57 years and then the caption say that she’s been that for over 60 years?
anonymous • Jun 7, 2010 at 4:38 pm
honestly, even if she was talking about jews and not israelis so what? Let’s assume she was talking about Jews, and when she said that they should “get the hell out of Palestine” she was referring to Jews. This is her expressing her views about a subject, and is no different than Binyamin Netanyahu stating that he believes Israelis have the right to live in contested territories and to defend themselves through things such as blockades. Thomas in unabashedly pro-Palestine, and she’s not going to lie about her beliefs. If she was referring to Jews, that’s because the majority of settlers in contested areas are Jewish. There’s nothing anti-semitic about that.
The next part of her comments is her saying “Remember, (the Palestinians) are occupied. And it’s their land.” This is just stating the fact that the Palestinians occupied much of present-day Israel’s land before 1948.
The last part of her statement, that Jews should go “home — Poland, Germany . . . and America, and everywhere else.” This certainly reflects animosity towards Jews living in Israel, but is it anti-Semetic? She isn’t calling for the destruction of Jews, she’s just saying she wishes the Jews would leave Israel. Obviously that’s not going to happen, and Thomas’ comments certainly come off as crude and uneducated at the best and virulent at their worst. However, that’s more the product of a 90-year old mind than anti-Semitism.
Alum • Jun 7, 2010 at 9:26 am
So, if Mel Gibson is a great actor, why don’t we let him speak? He just had a little slip-up, right?
“The fact is that she was referring to Israel as a whole, and stating her own position on the Isreali-Palestinian conflict.”
Yes, Israel is a country of many different people…
…and guess which Israelis came from Poland and Germany?
rose • Jun 6, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Helen apologized and is regretful. The tea party mocked the president, carried hateful hitler signs, and at mccain and palin rallies screamed kill him, no apologies. Fox talk jocks, degrade and speak hateful bigot remarks daily, not to mention that alcoholic glen beck, no apologies, still on their jobs, rush got a big check to keep up his divisive racist filth. Apologize Helen and ask for forgiveness and a second chance, please. The president takes the hits and remains a gentleman and stronger leader.
Joebob • Jun 6, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Actually, if you watch the video, she was commenting on Israel, not Jews specifically. When the interviewer asked her to comment on “Israel and Palestine,” she used the word “them,” which normally (on the subject of policy) refers to the government, rather than individual people.
The fact is that she was referring to Israel as a whole, and stating her own position on the Isreali-Palestinian conflict.
While I agree that her statement was worded poorly, I don’t believe that her stance on politics should be a reason not to have her as a speaker. THAT would be an indication of intolerance on Whitman’s part, which I don’t think actually reflects our true colors.
Whitman Parent • Jun 6, 2010 at 9:12 pm
This is nothing more than an overreaction with excessive opinionation and judgment that I know does not typify the Whitman community. While Thomas’ comments were undeniably poorly-worded and perhaps an opinion that she was out of place to state, the fact remains that she is an incredible woman that would have been an excellent speaker. Not only has Thomas already issued several apologies for her statements, the illogical jump to calling her an “anti-semite” is astounding. The unnecessary offense that has been taken shows an oversensitivity that clashes with the pragmatism and intelligence that graces most Whitman students. Bloom’s actions represent a very small majority of Walt Whitman’s graduating class, and when the students have to settle for a speaker far less exceptional than Thomas, Erica will be to blame.
anonymous • Jun 6, 2010 at 8:56 pm
great reporting jacob!
David Farber • Jun 6, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Here the the link of Helen Thomas’ comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQcQdWBqt14&tr=y&auid=6448375
David Farber • Jun 6, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Erica is spot on. Racism and bigotry has no place at Whitman. Helen Thomas has been spouting racism for years, and her uninformed opinions disqualify her from speaking to our students and our community. Jews has lived in Israel for over one thousand years, those that immigrated over the last sixty years come from many more countries than Poland and Germany, and under any standard they are not occupiers. Shame on Helen — she does not belong in the media, and certainly does not belong before Whitman graduates. Lets find a replacement who has integrity, and is not an antisemitic bigot!