Wilton Jewish Clergy: State Rep. Denning’s Facebook Posts with Antisemitic Language and Content are “Problematic”

Editor’s note: In response to this story, GMW has received an unusually high number of comments submitted for consideration as well as private emails not meant for publication. Some make unsubstantiated charges and assertions; others personally attack individuals in the community who are mentioned in this story as well as GMW staff. Many debate the larger Middle East conflict — an important conversation but not part of GMW‘s primary mission if there’s not a Wilton focus. As we’ve articulated when covering other sensitive topics in the past, we’re taking careful and time-consuming steps to limit discourse that exceeds community interest specific to Wilton. After discussions with multiple community members, we have closed comments on this story and encourage any of State Rep. Denning’s constituents with support or concerns to contact him directly.

[ORIGINAL STORY]:

As sensitivity to the situation in the Middle East continues to persist, concerns were recently expressed by two members of Wilton’s Jewish clergy and others regarding Facebook posts made by State Rep. Keith Denning (D-42). They say follow-up conversations with the elected official have not alleviated their concerns.

In question are social media posts written by Denning that drew a comparison of Jews to Nazis, referenced the Israeli “occupation” in the region, likened Hamas terrorists to “freedom fighters,” and shared an item from a nonprofit charity organization that clergy members maintain has inappropriate connections to Hamas — something Denning vehemently disputes.

“Do I regret the language?” Denning said. “Yes. I should not have used the word ‘Nazi’ in the comparison and I apologize for that, but that was many years ago.”

“In hindsight, I would never have used the word ‘Nazi’ [in] comparison to talk about the trauma that is being caused by both the Palestine and Israeli people on each other in a circular pattern,” he said.

Denning, however, stood by the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), for which he volunteered on three separate medical trips to the region as a nurse anesthetist, and still supports.

“I did three missions to Palestine and the West Bank … I think my last mission was in 2011,” he said, noting he provided anesthesia care for what were mostly children.

Concerns Shared on Social Media

On Dec. 19, 2023, Cantor Harriet Dunkerley of Temple B’nai Chaim shared on Facebook a post that Denning had written on the social media platform the week before, which Dunkerley said took “an accusatory antisemitic tone.”

Denning’s item shared a post from Steve Sosebee, founder of the PCRF, an organization that Dunkerley said has been criticized by a Middle East watchdog group called ngo-monitor.org for not publicly reporting its funding sources and has stated it has concerns about the PCRF possibly having received funding from and partnering with groups with known ties to Hamas.

In comments, Dunkerley and others criticized Denning for ignoring Hamas’ role in the war and omitting mention of Israelis and other nationals still held as hostages by Hamas in Gaza.

Denning has since deleted his original post.

Sosebee, who founded the PCRF in 1991 out of both Ohio and Palestine, coincidentally just left the organization on Sunday, Dec. 31.

“If you don’t feel comfortable with our elected official reposting posts by the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, please feel free to reach out and let him know,” Dunkerley wrote on Dec. 19.

“The post was problematic in my eyes … because this organization is questionable,” she told GMW this week.

Editor’s note: Charity Navigator, the independent organization that rates and evaluates nonprofits, has given PCRF a four-out-of-four-star rating and a score of 97%, and states on its website that people can donate to PCRF “with confidence.” Charity Navigator says it bases rankings on organizational leadership, financial dislosures and tax filings, and other financial metrics.

“Some of his Jewish constituents were upset by this post,” Dunkerley said, noting she followed up with an email conversation with Denning that he withdrew from, citing high emotions on both sides and declining an invitation from the Cantor to meet in person.

Dunkerly pointed to other posts Denning made on Facebook in past years that also concerned her.

“In looking at his history of posting on Facebook, there were some very problematic posts equating Jews with Nazis, equating Hamas terrorists with freedom fighters,” she said.

“By all means, criticize the Israeli government if you don’t agree with their policies,” she said. “The criticisms that I’ve read are not about the government. They’re about Jews.”

Those posts have also been removed from Denning’s personal Facebook page.

Denning said that because he was angered by Dunkerley’s appraisal of the PCRF, he ceased communication with her.

“I was very upset that she would take the liberty,” he said, of accusing the PCRF of being affiliated with Hamas.

“I asked her to reconsider her thoughts and she refused …” he said. “There is no valid documentation and I would never have worked for an organization … if it was supporting Hamas.”

Importance of Word Choice

Rabbi Nicole Wilson-Spiro, a Wilton resident who also expressed concern about Denning’s posts, said that while criticisms of Israel can be valid, it’s important that the language chosen be sensitive to certain perimeters.

“In several posts, he likened Hamas to freedom fighters and to the founders of the American Revolution,” she said. “To me, that sort of speech is very different than saying, ‘I support the right of the Palestinian people to have their own state,’ or ‘I support the citizens of Gaza who are affected by this crisis.'”

Wilson-Spiro said she heard from other Jewish residents who had reached out to Denning with their own concerns and felt he was not receptive in engaging with them productively.

“This is a very, very hard time for the American Jewish community,” Wilson-Spiro said. “We’ve seen really alarming spikes in antisemitism, so I would say … the Jewish community feels less safe than it has in generations, so at this particular point in time it’s very important for us to know that our representatives are here to take a stand against antisemitism … and hate in all its forms.”

“His words as an elected official really matter,” she said. “They carry a lot of weight.”

Wilson-Spiro explained that referencing Jews as Nazis results in a demonstration of callousness toward the Jewish people.

“Holocaust inversion equates Israel with Nazi Germany and the Palestinians with the Jews of Europe during the 1930s and 40s, despite the very obvious differences,” she said. “It seeks to minimize and sometimes justify the Holocaust by blaming the victims of one of the worst atrocities in modern history for their own suffering. It also attempts to demonize the state of Israel.”

Wilson-Spiro indicated it would be beneficial to have a conversation to explain the nature of the hurt and offer an opportunity to foster understanding.

“That’s kind of how we all become better people and that was the outcome that I was anticipating and hoping for,” she said.

“I’m disappointed that so far we haven’t been able to have that conversation and move forward toward just more careful, thoughtful language,” she said.

Denning Responds

Denning said that, separate of his dispute with Dunkerley, no one has asked him to have a discussion on the matter, but said he is open to it.

“If they want to have a discussion, I will be glad to have a discussion, but going through the newspaper and attacking through Facebook is not open and honest communication,” he said.

Denning said he has also received anonymous emails calling him antisemitic, which he said is untrue, citing his support of the Israeli people separate of his criticism of the government.

“No public servant should have to go through this accusation, especially when the people who are making the accusations will not come forward directly,” he said.

In his last email communication with Dunkerley, Denning said he would not run for office again, but said on Wednesday, Jan. 3, he now wasn’t sure.

“I did write that to her in my frustration and anger, but I am still deciding,” he said.

He’s also frustrated about the discourse online. “I regret having gotten a Facebook account,” he said.

Denning’s supporters online have criticized the cantor for targeting him, but Dunkerley said contrary to rumors, she has had no discussion with Democratic Town Committee officials about the matter, nor is she interested in unseating Denning.

“That is not my intent,” she said. “That is not why I posted anything.”

She said Denning has done “great work. I voted for him. This is why it was so disturbing to me.”

“I am not saying Rep. Denning is an antisemite,” she said. “I am not labeling him … The language he chose [is] hurtful and antisemitic in nature.”

“This is not meant to be in any way an attack on Rep. Denning,” Dunkerley said. “This was meant to be educational.”

UPDATE — 5:30 p.m.: This story was updated to include information about PCRF’s rating by the non-profit evaluation organization Charity Navigator.