Opinion: Jewish people call on Washington owner to drop name

A dozen Jews created an open letter to companies that make products for the Washington football team and the Commissioner of the National Football League. They all agreed to this short statement "We Jews call for companies to refuse to make humiliating 'redskin' products and if team owner Dan Snyder refuses to change the team name, for the NFL to seize and sell the team." A hundred eventually signed on.

Why a Jewish letter? Two reasons. First, because the owner of the Dallas Cowboys claimed that Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington team could not be "insensitive" in keeping the name "redskins" since Snyder was a Jew. Second because the Ray Halbritter (Oneida Nation representative and CEO of Nation Enterprises, parent company of Indian Country Today Media Network) asked Jews not to buy products bearing the current Washington name or use the team logo. We wanted to respond to the Oneida call and to criticize Snyder for using Jewish suffering as an excuse to humiliate others.

On the Move On petition site where the statement was housed there was this further explanation for the statement:

The "R" Word is the Same as the "N" Word and the "K" word

We Jews are appalled that fellow Jew Dan Snyder is blind to the fact that the name of the Washington football team that he owns is racist and deeply offensive to Indian peoples. As Indian leader Clyde Bellecourt said recently the “R” word is no different than the “N” word. We’d add that it’s also no different than the “K” word that has been used to taunt Jews for centuries.