Beck’s Holocaust comments prompt Fox News meeting

Fox News host Glenn Beck is known for generating controversy on television and the radio. But some Jewish leaders recently felt Beck went too far, and they made their grievances known to Fox News chief executive Roger Ailes.

Simon Greer, chief executive of Jewish Funds for Justice, told The Upshot that when Greer approached them, Ailes and senior vice president Joel Cheatwood agreed that Beck crossed the line in comparing Greer's worldview to that of the Nazis and promised to speak with Beck about the matter. [See Update for Fox response]

Two days later, Greer said he received a handwritten letter from Beck.

The Upshot learned of the July 26 meeting and Fox's response to Beck's comments through an email Greer sent to key supporters and allies of his organization. Greer confirmed the authenticity of the email, which was passed along to The Upshot by a source.

Greer's organization has clashed with Beck before. In March, the JFJ launched a project to send haiku responses to Beck over his criticism of religious social-justice groups. So there was already bad blood before the controversial remarks were made a couple months later.

On the air, Beck has railed against various social-justice organizations, arguing that focusing on the greater good can hinder individual freedom. For Beck, that worldview creeps dangerously close to communism, socialism, or fascism. As a conservative libertarian, Beck routinely warns against government overreach.

So, given the history between the two sides, Greer's column for the Washington Post's "On Faith" section unsurprisingly ignited the debate once again. Political philosophy aside, Greer's lead sentence may have been enough to set the host off: "Mr. Beck, you are a con man and America is not buying it."

In the piece, Greer argued that "government is one way by which we care for our neighbors, and my tradition tells me to care for my neighbor as I care for myself."

"Government makes our country function," Greer wrote. "To put God first is to put humankind first, and to put humankind first is to put the common good first."

Beck disagreed.

"This leads to death camps," Beck said on May 28. "A Jew, of all people, should know that. This is exactly the kind of talk that led to the death camps in Germany — put humankind and the common good first." (Listen to the clip below, via liberal watchdog Media Matters).

Greer fired back at Beck in a statement that day, writing that the top-rated 5 p.m. host "has a history of recklessly invoking Nazi Germany and the Holocaust in order to advance his political agenda."

It's true that Beck routinely brings up the Third Reich. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank, who's writing a book on Beck, recently added up the post-Obama inauguration references on Beck's Fox show to Nazis or Nazism (202), Adolf Hitler (147), fascism (193), and Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (24).

Beck has won praise from some in the Jewish community for focusing on Nazi atrocities, though. Morton A. Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, wrote in support of Beck, saying that he "deeply believes the Holocaust is the most vicious and monstrous behavior in human history" and "believes we must stay on high alert to make sure it never happens again."

Beck's also a strong supporter of the policies of the current Israeli government. Indeed, the Israeli government even highlighted Beck's coverage of the recent flotilla raid.

But when it came to the recent "death camps" comment, several Jewish groups took offense.

Rabbi Steve Gutow, executive director of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, sent a letter — signed by Greer and a dozen others — to News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch. About a week later, Gutow received a letter back from Ailes. They set up a meeting in Fox News's midtown headquarters, which was also attended by Rabbi David Ellenson.

Greer said that while he doesn't share the "same worldview with Glenn Beck and Fox News," he was impressed with the executives' response. He said that Ailes and Cheatwood agreed "that the use did cross a line."

"They took things very seriously, and I have a lot of respect for that," Greer said.

Greer received the letter from Beck last Wednesday. Although Greer said he wouldn't categorize the letter as an apology, he said that Beck explained he'd been informed of the organization's concerns and took them very seriously.

"It was a very quick response and felt like a peace offering," he said.

A Fox News spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UPDATE: Fox News has still not responded to The Upshot. But Cheatwood acknowledged later to TVNewser that there was an "honest, open, dignified meeting" with Greer. However, Cheatwood contradicted Greer's account, saying that he and Ailes did not agree that Beck crossed the line with his "death camps" comment. "We absolutely stood behind Glenn Beck 1000%," he said.