Anti-Defamation League Accepts Whoopi Goldberg's Apology After Her 'Misinformed' Holocaust Statement

"We have always known her as someone who stands up for the Jewish community," Frederic L. Bloch, chief growth officer of the Anti-Defamation League, said about Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg. Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Whoopi Goldberg is answering for her controversial comments about the Holocaust.

On Thursday, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement and said The View co-host, 66, reached out to the organization after she inaccurately asserted this week that the "Holocaust isn't about race."

"We criticized this misinformed statement and called for Goldberg to get her facts right and apologize. She did so, and graciously invited our CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to come onto The View to talk about the racial underpinnings of the Holocaust and the problems caused by comments like Goldberg's," said Frederic L. Bloch, chief growth officer of the ADL.

"ADL has accepted her apology, as we have always known her as someone who stands up for the Jewish community," Bloch said. "Goldberg has been suspended for two weeks by ABC News. Hopefully these next two weeks can be a time for introspection for her and healing for those who were hurt."

Bloch added, "In situations like this, we support a counsel culture, not a cancel culture. We have invited her to have more discussions with ADL, to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and to reach out to her Jewish colleagues. She has an important voice in our country and there's much she can do."

The View
Whoopi Goldberg on The View. ABC

Goldberg made the comment on Monday's episode of The View, during which she and her co-hosts discussed a Tennessee school board's ban of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Maus, which tells the story of illustrator and author Art Spiegelman's Polish Jewish parents' experience during the Holocaust. The school board cited concerns about female nudity and profanity, and removed the material from the eighth-grade curriculum.

Goldberg, who immediately faced criticism on social media, shared a statement and apologized on the show the next day.

RELATED VIDEO: Whoopi Goldberg Suspended at The View After 'Wrong and Hurtful' Holocaust Comments

"I said something that I feel a responsibility for not leaving unexamined because my words upset so many people, which was never my intention," Goldberg said. "And I understand why now, and for that I am deeply, deeply grateful because the information I got was really helpful and it helped me understand some different things."

She also provided a platform to ADL CEO Greenblatt during Tuesday's episode, and he suggested the show consider a Jewish co-host to fill Meghan McCain's vacant seat.

Goldberg has since been suspended for two weeks over her "wrong and hurtful comments," according to ABC News President Kim Godwin's statement, which was previously obtained by PEOPLE. Godwin also said that Goldberg has been asked to "take time and reflect and learn about the impact of her comments."

The ADL encourages those seeking information on the Holocaust to check out their educational resources.

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