Philly staffers say a director made anti-Semitic comments and verbally abused them; Jewish group

[TexasTowelie]

Philly staffers say a director made anti-Semitic comments and verbally abused them; Jewish group calls for dismissal


Philadelphia’s Commerce Department served as a lifeline for pandemic-battered local businesses over the last year. But now the department is facing its own crisis.

Senior department leaders and other staff have left the office over the last year, with some blaming the allegedly abusive behavior of Commerce Director Michael Rashid. Others described anti-Semitic comments allegedly made by the former health-care executive, who was appointed by Mayor Jim Kenney in November 2020 and earns $170,874 a year, according to payroll records.

In interviews with The Inquirer, staff recalled Rashid recently relating an anecdote about his viewing of Schindler’s List — Steven Spielberg’s award-winning movie about the Holocaust — as a confusing inspirational metaphor. On several occasions, Rashid reportedly said he had avoided watching the 1993 film because he perceived it as “Jewish propaganda,” but upon viewing came to appreciate the story of a heroic businessman in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Rashid’s social media posts, surfaced by news website PhillyVoice on Thursday, also contain inflammatory statements about Jewish people and law enforcement. In one post he made in April, he appeared to condone the shooting of police officers who are deemed racist. Another features an unverifiable quote attributed to Malcolm X that describes Jewish neighborhoods as “Jew Town.”

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/politics/philadelphia/michael-rashid-philadelphia-commerce-department-abuse-20211203.html

[Budi]

1. If he's still there, fire him. There are better people in this country to be leaders