Reverend Jeremiah Wright and "Them Jews"

June 12, 2009 11:26 AM

Rev. Wright: I Meant "Zionists," Not Jews

On Wednesday, we reported on remarks made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Obama's former pastor, where he complained that "them Jews aren't going to let [Obama] talk to me."

Now Wright has addressed those remarks, as ABC News reports. Speaking on satellite radio, Wright said he "misspoke" when he complained that "Jews" were keeping him away from the president. The word he really meant to use, Wright said, is "Zionists."

"I’m not talking about all Jews, all people of the Jewish faith, I’m talking about Zionists," Wright told Mark Thompson, according to ABC. You can listen to portions of the interview here.

Though Zionism originated over a hundred years ago as a movement to establish an independent Jewish state, the term "Zionist" is sometimes now used in a derogatory way in reference to those who strongly support Israel.

Wright criticized Israel in the interview and referenced the book "Judaism Does Not Equal Israel: The Rebirth of the Jewish Prophetic."

"They can jump on that one phrase if they want to, but they can’t, they can’t undo history," Wright said, according to the ABC transcription. "They can’t undo the facts of Jewish historians and Jewish theologians who write about what’s going on, who write about the enormous influence that AIPAC has on our government and on United States policy and the United Nations.”

He added that the "Jewish vote, the AIPAC vote" is controlling the president and "would not let him send representation to the Darfur Review Conference."

"…'cause they’re Zionists, they would not let him talk to someone who calls a spade what it is," Wright said.

Mr. Obama cut off contact with Wright during his presidential campaign in the wake of revelations of several controversial comments by the pastor, among them "God Damn America." Wright said in the interview that he had mistakenly used the word "Jews" instead of "Zionists" because he was "trying to talk rapidly" and get an interviewer to focus on something other than the president.

Wright said in the interview that he decried the Holocaust museum shooting that took place earlier this week. He also called the murder of abortion doctor George Tiller "insane."

"It's a very short ride between fundamentalism and fanaticism," Wright said.