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U.S. Holocaust museum stands by official
MATTHEW DORF
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - The incoming director of a Holocaust studies center at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has apologized for a 10-year-old article that compared Israeli policies toward the Palestinians to the Nazis' treatment of Jews.
In interviews and statements, John Roth, an internationally renowned Holocaust scholar who serves as chairman of the philosophy and religious studies department at California's Claremont McKenna College, sought to end controversy over a 1988 op-ed piece he wrote for The Los Angeles Times. Stung by attacks from the Zionist Organization of America, and from calls for a clear retraction from the Anti-Defamation League, Roth said in a statement: "If I could erase one item from my professional record, it would be the opinion piece I wrote 10 years ago for the Los Angeles Times. I apologize for and would like to retract that essay."
Museum officials are backing Roth and say that he will assume his new post as head of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies as scheduled in August.
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