NFL player who posted quote attributed to Hitler accepts Holocaust survivor’s invitation to visit Nazi death camp, says he will “continue educating [himself].”
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
Philadelphia Eagles football player DeSeah Jackson is acting on the scathing criticism he received after posting anti-Semitic comments on social media and may even go to Aushwitz with a Holocaust survivor, the NFL player posted on Saturday.
“Today I had an opportunity to speak with 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Mr. Edward Mosberg. Thank you Mr. Mosberg for your valuable time and insight today . I’m taking this time to continue with educating myself and bridging the gap between different cultures, communities & religions. LOVE 2 ALL!!!!! TO BE CONTINUED …,”, Jackson posted on Instagram.
The two talked in a call arranged by Jonny Daniels, the head of From The Depths, an organization run entirely by millennials “to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to give a name to those who were brutally murdered in the dark days of the Holocaust and to continue the message to the next generations of those who survived.”
“Powerful call happening now with Holocaust Survivor Edward Mosberg and @DeSeanJackson10, where they agreed that DeSean will be accompanying Mr. Mosberg & @FTDepths to visit the German Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz,” Daniels tweeted.
“This is the power of dialogue and coming together,” Daniels said.
“There is no questioning that his post was horrendous, anti-Semitic and hurtful,” Daniels said, “but rather than double down and attack, now is our opportunity to stand up and forgive, take a stand against the whole ‘cancel culture’, learn together and move forward in understanding.”
In the video call the two had, Jackson said how sorry he was for the posting and wanted to make amends.
“These past few days have been rough for me,” Jackson told Mosberg. “I just want to take the proper steps to let everybody know that I never intentionally had any hatred in my heart and never wanted to put the Jewish community down.”
Jackson said that growing up in Los Angeles, he never had a chance to learn about the Jewish community.
“This is your chance,” Mosberg told him.
Last week New England Patriots all-star wide-receiver Julian Edelman reached out to Jackson, calling for the two to meet in Washington D.C. to have that “uncomfortable” talk.
Edelman, one of a handful of Jewish NFL players, offered to take Jackson on a tour of the Holocaust Museum and then accompany Jackson to the Museum of African American History and Culture. On Saturday Edelman said there had been progress.
“DeSean and I spoke for awhile last night. We’re making plans to use our experiences to educate one another and grow together. Stay tuned,” Edelman tweeted.
Daniels was upbeat and said the outreach and interaction with Jackson is exactly what is needed.
“After yesterday’s call where DeSean agreed to accompany Mr. Mosberg to Auschwitz, we should be thankful that we are able to work with him, and through educating DeSean, we will be able to educate millions more, millions who in all honestly aren’t going to pick up a book about the Holocaust or visit a museum. We will educate them through their insta[gram] stories, their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, where my generation, the millennials, are educated today,” Daniels said.