(New York, NY) -- Florida's governor is not welcome at a museum in New York.
The Tikvah Fund had invited Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to speak at next month's Jewish Leadership Conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, but the organization's leaders say museum officials told them DeSantis would not be allowed in the building because he doesn't align with their message of inclusivity.
Tikvah Chairman Elliott Abrams and CEO Eric Cohen wrote yesterday in the Wall Street Journal that the museum told them they had to disinvite DeSantis or move the event somewhere else.
Abrams and Cohen say they won't be canceled, instead, they'll move their event to a different venue, and the governor will speak.
The following statement was issued by the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust regarding a factually inaccurate opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal about a proposed rental event:
“The Wall Street Journal opinion piece, ‘Persona Non Grata at a Holocaust Memorial,’ written by the leadership at The Tikvah Fund, contains many factual inaccuracies, including fictionalized quotes.
No one was banned or cancelled. The fact is that no contract with the Tikvah Fund was ever signed for this rental event to be held at the Museum and no deposit was ever made.
This is not a free speech or censorship issue. The Tikvah Fund is trying to create a fight where none exists. This was simply a contractual and logistical decision.
We welcome Governor DeSantis and elected officials from across the spectrum to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust for a tour of our new exhibition, The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do, when it opens this summer.”