Buffalo arts organization accused of anti-Semitism

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo arts organization is accused of sending an anti-Semitic statement to an Orthodox Jewish school in Amherst.

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Some Erie County lawmakers want additional action, saying Locust Street Art has received thousands of dollars in county funding over the years.

“I have to be honest with you, I was completely shocked,” said Chris Greene, a Republican lawmaker in the Erie County Legislature. “They themselves are creating art for everyone and so it’s shocking and disappointing.”

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A social media post from an off-site Locust Street Art instructor has sparked allegations of anti-Semitism.

The Jewish Heritage Day School on Audubon Parkway in Amherst asked to partner with the arts organization, but instead received a message that Locust Street could “not, in good conscience, work with a pro-Israeli organization that supports the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

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“She said it had to do with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and ultimately, there is no mention of Israel or Hamas on this school’s website. The only thing that is mentioned there, it’s that they’re Jewish, so that’s why they were rejected for a partnership is very clearly anti-Semitic in nature,” Greene remarked.

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Legislator Greene sent a letter to the arts organization and is outraged by its rejection of the school.

Erie County has provided tens of thousands of dollars in funding to the organization, including more than $34,000 this year alone.

“They received a lot of money from Erie County and we expect that will come with personal and financial responsibilities, which means they must act certainly within federal guidelines and Title VII appears to be ignored here based on the fact, again, they were rejected because of their faith,” Green responded.

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“Do you think they should be penalized for this?” asked Buckley: “I believe the first steps are to receive some sort of action plan and because right now this has been going on behind the scenes for almost a week and we haven’t heard talk about no action plan to ensure this. it won’t happen again,” Green responded. “We will not fund non-profit organizations that act politically, especially in an international and discriminatory manner. »

Locust Street Art released a statement which reads in part the communication “does not reflect the values, policies or sentiments of Locust street art” and that they realized they had made a “serious mistake” The statement included an apology saying it would be “profoundly wrong” to deny access to the arts at school and apologized “profusely.”

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I learned that board members were meeting Thursday to discuss the issue, but one board member declined my interview request.

I contacted the school administration for comment, but Thursday marks a Jewish holiday and the school is closed.

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The Jewish Federation of Buffalo declined to comment on the matter.

Legislator Greene tells me he would like to see “disciplinary action” taken against the employee.