PAINESVILLE, Ohio — A tweet from Lake County recorder Becky Lynch has caused outrage in the local Jewish community and beyond. It's a picture that appears to show two soldiers from Nazi Germany holding a weapon to a baby's head. Underneath, the caption reads: "This time around, we are all Jews. Rise up and resist. Say no to the poison death shot."
Lynch reposted it from Hasidic doctor Vladimir Zelenko, an outspoken critic of the COVID-19 vaccine, and gained notoriety for prescribing Ivermectin to his COVID patients. Ivermectin, a deworming medicine, is a drug not approved by the FDA to treat COVID.
In a statement to 3News, Lynch said:
"The tweet was in defense of children who should not be medical experiments. It was a Telegram post by Dr. Zelenko. With the lack of research and the controversial side effects, they should not be targeted in my opinion. I respect and love the Jewish people and would never intentionally offend them or anyone. Also, this is my personal viewpoint not that of the county. Due to the sensitivities which have arisen, the tweet has been removed."
According to James Pasch, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, Lynch's explanation isn't enough.
"What we need all elected officials to do is, if they make a mistake, apologize, don't do it again. And, to please, you know, be cognizant of the fact that Nazi comparisons are not appropriate. There's nothing in that comparison that does anything to protect children's health," Pasch said.
Lynch also sent a written apology to the Anti-Defamation League on Tuesday morning. Here is what she said:
Mr. James Pasch
Regional Director ADL
Dear Mr. Pasch,
Yesterday, a reporter from Channel 3 came to my office to interview me about a twitter post. She said that she received a copy of it from someone who was offended about it. The post was an image which regarded experimenting with children by injecting them with the Covid shot. It was from Dr. Vladimir Zev Zelenko, whose channel I read from Telegram. It depicted two Nazis ready to shoot a small child.
The caption compared the ideology of medical experimentation using children with the ideology behind the Holocaust, which was immeasurably heinous.
It read, “The ideology that drove the Holocaust is the same ideology that drives human abortion. The idea that some lives matter less.”
The point intended was that it is wrong to harm children. But the post came too close to the unimaginable, on all fronts, and so it was taken down.
Dr. Zelenko had added; “This time around we are all Jews, rise up and resist, say no to the poison death shot.” This was obviously to draw attention to the dire consequence and impending outcome. As a matter of drawing attention to saving the lives of innocent children from the evils of abortion and medical experimentation, this was an extreme plea to stop the atrocity.
But the message was terribly offensive because of the comparison. No one is able to see the similarity between the ideologies driving these horrible things. For this albeit unintentional confusion and complete mistake on my part, I am deeply sorry. I did not make the connection of the offensive comparison and now, through the lens of hindsight, cannot express more remorse. I pray that those whom I offended can forgive me.
With sincerity and respect,
Becky Lynch
*Editor's Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report.