Enid voters: Do you really want someone tied to white nationalism representing you?

I am the son of two Holocaust survivors. My parents immigrated here in 1950 with the help of HIAS, the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society. For 130 years, the society has been helping immigrants, both Jews and non-Jews, to start a new life in the United States.

In 2023, the residents of Ward 1, in Enid, elected Judson "Judd" Blevins to be city commissioner. Whether they knew his background at that time is irrelevant. Everybody knows now. He was recalled, and there will be an election on April 2 for that seat. It has been reported he associates with white nationalist/white supremacist causes. He has never renounced or apologized for the beliefs of white nationalism/supremacy, including the belief that Aryans (a geographically and historically misplaced and misappropriated term for white people of European origin) are genetically superior to all other races.

It is important to know how Blevins’ actions and beliefs have bearing on his role as a leader in Enid, and as a representative of that city to the rest of Oklahoma and the world.

More: Enid city commissioner to face recall election after white nationalist allegations surface

On the evening of Aug. 11, 2017, Blevins reportedly participated in a march with members of the alt-right who had gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. They included members of the Ku Klux Klan, Neo Nazis, other white supremacists and white nationalists, Christian identity members, and other racists and bigots from various organizations. As they marched through the campus of the University of Virginia carrying tiki torches, reminiscent of Nazis marching in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1935, they chanted “Blood and Soil.” This phrase, borrowed directly from Nazis before the Holocaust in a twisted form of devotion to their country, implies that their blood would be pure, not mixed with any other race, and they would work to “purity the land” and the people living there at the same time. In Europe in the 1940s, this led directly to the death of millions, including more than 6 million Jews.

In addition, a torch-bearing Blevins allegedly was part of the white supremacists crowd that chanted, “Jews will not replace us.” This refers to the great replacement conspiracy theory that the Jews and others who support immigration bring as many non-white people as possible to replace the white people of America. Recent polls show that white nationalists believe this conspiracy theory, falsely, that rich Jewish philanthropists are funding this endeavor, and recent polls show that one in three Americans still believe this ridiculousness to be true.

The next day in Charlottesville saw a clash with opponents of the alt-right, resulting in physical harm to many people. Counterprotester Heather Heyer, a young woman, was murdered by a white supremacist when his car ploughed into a crowd.

Charlottesville, Virginia, on that day, did not have good people on both sides.

What happened in Charlottesville leads directly to Pittsburgh. On Oct. 27, 2018, an antisemitic white supremacist walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue while Jews were praying, on Shabbat, and opened fire, murdering 11 people, including two Holocaust survivors, and wounding six others. The reason for his action is that he found out that this Synagogue worked closely with the Hebrew society to resettle immigrants in Pittsburgh. At his trial, the murderer said, “I just had enough.”

Our world has too much hatred in it already, and white supremacists feel validated when leaders, privately or publicly, are known to share their racist views.

More: An Oklahoma town has been struggling with voter apathy, white nationalism on a national stage

Enid, your beautiful city will benefit from leaders who spread kindness, hope and support for those from different backgrounds, not from those who spread fear and lies based on white supremacy. Is a person who believes in those ideas the kind of person you want to represent you — and your city — to the world around you?

Michael Korenblit is president of the Respect Diversity Foundation and author of "Until We Meet Again," the true story of his parents during the Holocaust. A version of this column was published in the Enid News & Eagle.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Enid commissioner facing recall vote tied to white nationalism