CHICAGO — Chicago aldermen on Monday moved to officially condemn a newly elected Illinois congresswoman who told an audience at a Washington, D.C., rally, “Hitler was right on one thing.”
The nonbinding resolution denounces Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller’s remarks as “a disgrace to the memories of those killed in the Holocaust and the millions of victims of World War II, an insult to the families of those who perished, and a discredit to the office of United States congresswoman and the great state of Illinois.”
During a Jan. 5 speech to conservative group Moms for America, Miller said each generation has “the responsibility to teach and train the next generation.”
“You know, if we win a few elections, we’re still going to be losing unless we win the hearts and minds of our children. This is the battle. Hitler was right on one thing. He said, whoever has the youth has the future,” she said.
Facing widespread criticism and calls for her resignation, Miller issued a statement days later saying she apologized “for any harm my words caused and regret using a reference to one of the most evil dictators in history to illustrate the dangers that outside influences can have on our youth.”
Speaking in support of the City Council resolution Monday, Far North Side Alderwoman Debra Silverstein, 50th, said the remarks were hugely offensive to the big Jewish population in her ward, where Holocaust survivors and residents who lost family members in Nazi concentration camps are part of the fabric of the neighborhoods.
Silverstein, who is Jewish, noted that she herself lost great-aunts and great-uncles in the Holocaust.
“As a representative of Chicago’s largest Jewish community and a proud Jewish woman myself, I can say with certainty that nothing Hitler did was right,” Silverstein said. “And as a proud citizen of Chicago, a city that stands up for ethical and moral ideas, I condemn Rep. Miller’s statements in the strongest terms possible.”
Miller’s office did not immediately respond to questions about the City Council resolution.
The resolution passed the council Health and Human Relations Committee, and the full council will consider it later this month.
