Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center will offer a prayer at Donald Trump’s Presidential inauguration on January 20th. The 77 year old will be the official rabbi of the ceremony and is not swayed by a new petition which is calling on Hier to change his mind.
JTA reports that Marvin Hier was asked to give the benediction in part because of his friendship with Ivanka Trumps parents in law, Charles and Seryl Kushner. They have all spent their Passovers together at the same Arizona kosher resort for years.
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However an online petition started by Mya Stark, a Los Angeles businesswoman, is calling on Marvin Hier to drop out because of the Donald Trump campaign’s connections to white supremacists.
The petition reads, “Hier is the head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, named for the heroic Nazi-hunter, and the Museum of Tolerance — normalizing Trump with his participation will turn these organizations into a mockery and be a shame on the Jewish name forever. Apparently, Hier thinks it is acceptable to legitimize and collaborate with a political figure who the KKK is literally marching in the streets to celebrate.”
But the Rabbi feels that now that the elections are over, people must come together and give Donald Trump a chance. Rabbi Hier told JTA, ““They are not going to change my mind. Even people who fought each other bitterly during the campaign are all going to be present on the platform.”
