Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
Once again, we have seen political opponents of the Trump Administration concocting a false charge of anti-Semitism against a senior White House official, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to President Trump. Dr. Gorka is a member of the Strategic Initiatives Group created by Steve Bannon, another senior official subjected to a smear campaign of ridiculous and false charges. The charges against Steve Bannon were a tissue of lies, and the Zionist Organization of America publicly denounced them and demanded an apology from the perpetrators. The allegation against Dr. Gorka is just as false. Dr. Gorka is a proud American patriot and fighter against radical Islamic terrorism, and a faithful friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
As the great pro Israel Congressman Trent Franks, the chairman of the Israel Allies Caucus in the House of Representatives, stated in a February 27 statement, “I have followed the recent press and social media attacks against Dr. Sebastian Gorka and am compelled to respond with disgust at the attempt to libel this American patriot. Most disturbing of all is the attempt to portray Dr. Gorka in any way as anti-Semitic. Having called upon his expertise on Counterterrorism repeatedly in Congress and used his analysis to inform our work, I can attest that Dr. Gorka is the staunchest friend of Israel and the Jewish people.” In fact, Gorka worked with anti-Nazi groups in Hungary and specifically fought the anti-Semitism of right wing Hungarian groups.
Dr. Gorka has been in the public eye for years as an analyst of terrorism, including numerous television appearances, and has been one of America’s strongest voices in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism. The slur of anti-Semitism stems from unsubstantiated claims in reports in the ultra left wing Forward and other left wing Jewish publications claiming that Dr. Gorka is a member of an anti-Semitic offshoot of an Hungarian nationalist organization. There is not a shred of evidence for this charge, which Dr. Gorka has denied. It is irresponsible journalism, to say the least, to attempt to destroy the reputation of man based on years of public activism through an undocumented rumor.
Sebastian Gorka’s father, Paul Gorka, escorted Jewish classmates to school to protect them from anti-Semitic attacks during World War II. After the Communist takeover of Hungary he became a leader of the anti-Communist resistance, providing crucial information to Western intelligence services. Paul Gorka was imprisoned and tortured by the Hungarian Communist regime before his escape to England. He was an implacable enemy of fascist and communist totalitarianism.
Sebastian Gorka has dedicated his career to fighting the new wave of totalitarianism that threatens the West in the form of radical Islamic terrorism. His appointment is exemplary of the improved relation between America and Israel under the new Administration, and American Jews should be grateful to him for his friendship and his service to the United States. The ZOA urges the Forward and others to immediately retract and apologize for their reckless character assassination of Sebastian Gorka, who is a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people.