Back to the Cincinnati Reds Newsfeed

American Jewish Committee addresses Johnny Bench's antisemitic joke about ex-GM Gabe Paul

American Jewish Committee, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, issued a statement Monday about a remark National Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench made during last weekend's induction of former general manager Gabe Paul into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

The statement read as follows:

"We appreciate that Johnny Bench has apologized for his ill-advised comment. One of the most common antisemitic tropes is the association of Jews with greed. It has fueled the hatred of Jews for thousands of years and still affects Jews today. That is why it was disheartening to learn of Bench's remark during Gabe Paul's induction into the Reds Hall of Fame.