Michele Bachmann Apologizes To The Jewish Community

Asks God For Forgiveness For Pattern Of Anti-Semitic Statements

Former Presidential Candidate and House Representative Michele Bachmann has once again entered into the news. This time, though, Bachmann is in the news for backing off negative comments that she made regarding Jewish people as recently as 2016. Michele Bachmann recently gave an interview at an Israeli radio station where she asked for “repentance from the Jewish people for the horrible and arrogant way Christians- including myself- treated and regarded the Jewish people. She also said that she seeks forgiveness from God for her actions because she knows that they have caused tremendous pain in the Jewish community in the United States and abroad. This is a significant departure from the language that Bachmann had used in the past when talking about Jewish people. 

Michele Bachmann Changes Tone On Jewish Conversion[/tweetthis]

Michele Bachmann’s history of speaking negatively about Jewish people came to light in 2015, when she suggested that the Jewish people should consider converting themselves to Christianity. The reason behind this rude suggestion stems from her ongoing belief that humanity is living in the end-times of the world and that Jesus Christ will soon return and set about the end of the world as we know it. Bachmann said, “the Holy Spirit is speaking to each one of us, to be faithful in the Kingdom and to bring in as many people as we can- even among the Jews.”

The language may appear harmless at first glance and to Ms. Bachmann herself, certainly, but it was absolutely tone deaf. The suggestion in this conversation about conversion is that Christianity is superior to other religions and that Jewish people, in particular, should abandon their beliefs and take up with Christianity. The inclusion of the phrase “even among the Jews” suggests that they are particularly undesirable to Bachmann or her interpretation of Christianity. 

While Bachmann’s language was harsh in 2015, her negative comments did not end there. In 2016, Bachmann openly accused the American Jewish organizations of selling out Israel in support of the Iran nuclear deal, which has recently been repealed. Again, Bachmann attacked the Jewish organizations for attempting to put together a peace deal that would lessen the risk of nuclear war, in their opinion. 

Bachmann’s apology comes as a new embassy is opened in Jerusalem on behalf of the United States. Bachmann’s attempt at mending bridges was part of a Jewish-Christian Bible study, an ongoing tour that was organized by the Family Research Center, a conservative Christian group. 

Resources

• Politifact
• Biography

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