EASTON, Md. — Local Jewish leadership has issued a formal protest to the League of Women Voters Mid-Shore following the inclusion of inflammatory antisemitic rhetoric in an official candidate guide published in The Star Democrat.
In an October 12 letter addressed to the organization, Rabbi Jordan Goldson of Temple B’nai Israel in Easton expressed shock and offense over statements submitted by Edward Shlikas, a candidate running for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District. However when I asked the Rabbi for comment he refused.
In his submission printed in the Voters Guide, Shlikas accused Jewish people of being "satanic" and held them responsible for Middle East conflicts. Rabbi Goldson urged the League to implement clear guidelines preventing hate speech in future election materials.
"We understand and support freedom of speech," Rabbi Goldson wrote. "However, when hateful beliefs are expressed which are directed at Jews or any other group for that matter, we believe that the line has been crossed into hate speech."
Rabbi Goldson warned that allowing unedited claims accusing Jewish people of being satanic revives historic tropes and modern-day blood libels.
"Throughout history, when these forms of hate have gone unchecked, it has created a dangerous environment for the Jewish community and has led to deadly violence against innocent people who are Jewish," Goldson added.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan civic organization, historically publishes candidate statements word-for-word without editing, rephrasing, or censoring content, provided candidates meet official state filing requirements. This long-standing neutral publication policy regularly puts civic organizations in a difficult position when candidates submit extreme, conspiratorial, or incendiary rhetoric.
Rabbi Goldson requested a direct meeting with local League officials to discuss establishing publishing guidelines that draw a distinction between protected political discourse and hate speech.
Requests for comment from the League of Women Voters Mid-Shore and The Star Democrat regarding their candidate submission guidelines were not immediately returned. As stated above; Rabbi Goldson refused to comment.
This is a developing story. A full analysis exploring candidate guide policies, publisher liability, and legal guidelines surrounding political speech in nonpartisan voter guides will follow.
We must call this out whenever we see or hear about it. There is no room for hate in Maryland!
Thank you for reporting on this.