John Roth, an internationally renowned scholar, brings impressive credentials to his position as head of the new Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
A non-Jew, he has worked in the field of Holocaust studies for more than 20 years, writing extensively on the subject and earning the respect of colleagues and survivors alike.
Unfortunately, Roth has also brought controversy to the museum — controversy the institution doesn’t need.
He has drawn criticism from a handful of Jewish leaders, members of Congress and newspaper editors for a 1988 commentary he wrote for the Los Angeles Times in which he compared Israeli policies toward the Palestinians to the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews.
But he has publicly apologized for the 10-year-old article, saying, “If I could erase one item from my record, it would be this.”
Clearly, most of the museum leadership has accepted the apology.
Members of the museum council voted overwhelmingly last week to reaffirm the appointment of the scholar, who is chair of the philosophy and religious studies department at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California.
Some may have been troubled by Roth’s past writings. But his knowledge and experience with Holocaust issues outweigh those doubts.
The Washington, D.C., museum has spent the last year trying to put out fires of one sort or another, including an on-again, off-again invitation to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat that caused embarrassment and criticism.
The last thing the institution needs is a further-tarnished image. Controversy diverts energy and attention away from the federally funded institution’s crucial mission: educating the public about the horrors of the Holocaust.
Still, Roth has the credentials to help achieve that goal. Let’s give him a chance.