The Board of Deputies of British Jews has apologised to the journalist Rachel Shabi after a message on its official Twitter account described her as an “asshole”.
The tweet from the organisation’s account on Saturday was in response to Shabi’s comments on Holocaust education.
The subsequently deleted tweet read: “Rachel Shabi telling the head of the Holocaust Education Trust that she’s plainly wrong about er, the Holocaust, is the definition of chutzpah. The shamelessness of this asshole.”
Shabi had disagreed with an an opinion piece by Karen Pollock, the chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, in the Times.
Pollock’s article appeared on Friday amid the growing row over a tweet by Gary Lineker who had described the government’s immigration policy as “immeasurably cruel” and using language “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.
In her piece, Pollock wrote: “However passionately we feel about important and pressing issues of the day, comparing those current concerns with the unimaginable horrors of the Nazi period is wrong.”
In response, Shabi, who has written for the Guardian and New York Times, tweeted: “This is plainly wrong.
“A key tenet of Holocaust education is never again, for anyone. The Holocaust is unique, but ‘never again’ is universal. Drawing out similarities and parallels is critical and part of the education.”
In response to the tweet from the Board of Deputies account, Shabi wrote on Saturday night: “Hey @BoardofDeputies do you want to apologise and explain how this happened?”
The organisation, which was established in 1760 and comprises more than 300 deputies directly elected by the synagogues and communal organisations they represent, issued an apology on Sunday.
It wrote: “Late last night there was a tweet issued in error from the Board of Deputies’ Twitter account directed to @rachshabi.
“This tweet used inappropriate language, for which we unreservedly apologise.
“The tweet was immediately removed. We have also reached out privately to apologise.”
Shabi has welcomed the apology but urged the organisation to take action against the person responsible.
She tweeted: “Thanks for the apology, though the problem isn’t just the language but the substance of the post. I’m concerned that the person intending to post this on their personal account is responsible for your Twitter account. Can you take action?”
