The exterior of an Oxfam store in London (Nick Ansell/PA via AP, File)
JTA — Oxfam, an international charitable organization working to end poverty, has apologized for raising funds by selling copies of the anti-Semitic “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
The organization removed the fiction from its online shop when it became aware of their sale.
Copies for sale included a 1936 edition for about $100, as well as 2002 editions selling for about $13. Volunteers price, photograph and place online products for Oxfam’s online shop, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
“The Protocols” is a fabricated anti-Semitic text describing a Jewish plan for global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mark Regev in central London on January 23, 2019 (Tolga AKMEN / POOL / AFP)
The chief executive of Oxfam GB, Danny Sriskandarajah, in a phone call apologized to Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mark Regev, after Regev tweeted “Why is Oxfam selling anti-Semitic literature?”
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
“The books were destroyed & we are looking to learn lessons. This should not have happened,” Sriskandarajah tweeted. “We are sorry that it did and for the offense caused.”
Regev later tweeted that he appreciated the call and the apology.
On Tuesday, the organization closed its physical charity shops due to the coronavirus crisis.
Advertisement
Oxfam was founded in the United Kingdom and is headquartered in Nairobi.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
