The National Jewish Democratic Council today (Friday, Feb. 4) demanded that House Speaker Dennis Hastert  return $1,500 in contributions from Myron Kuropas, whose views on Jews have been denounced as anti-Semitic. (See previous story)

NJDC Executive Director Ira Forman, basing his request on a story appearing in the Feb. 4 edition of the Forward, said: 

"The GOP leader of the House should not profit from the funds of someone who attacks Jews for 
exploiting the Holocaust. Speaker Hastert should return this tainted money at once. It is utterly unacceptable for Mr. Hastert to repeatedly accept donations from a man long known as utterly hostile to the Jewish community. This is a man who consistently defended John Demjanjuk, and who repeatedly argued that Jews played a driving role behind Soviet leader Josef Stalin's murderous policies in Ukraine. 

"It's shocking enough that this individual accompanied Secretary Powell to Ukraine in an official 
delegation formed by the White House, and it's disturbing enough that this man is an old hand in 
GOP circles -- working as he has with President Ford, President Reagan, and Senator Bob Dole. 

"We cannot change what's happened over the past 20 years, but we can rectify donations made to the Speaker of the House within the past year. Speaker Hastert should return these funds immediately."                       —Donald H. Harrison