“I never claimed to be Jewish,” incoming New York Congressman George Santos said, less than a day before reporting emerged that he had described himself as “a proud American Jew” in a position paper submitted to multiple American Jewish advocacy organizations.
According to a Tuesday report by Forward, Santos claimed Jewish heritage in the two-page paper and attested to having traveled to Israel “numerous times from educational, business, and leisurely trips.” The position was submitted to multiple organizations, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Santos has attempted to deflect questions regarding his ancestry by joking that while he is Catholic, he is “Jew-ish” given his mother’s heritage and asserting that he “never claimed to be Jewish.”
Questions were raised regarding Santos’ Jewish heritage after a Forward investigation was unable to verify his assertions that his maternal grandparents were Ukrainian Jews who had fled Nazi persecution during the Holocaust.
Santos, who is Brazilian-American, had previously claimed to have a Catholic father and Jewish mother. Social media posts reviewed by Forward indicated that his mother, the now deceased Fatima Alzira Caruso Horta Devolder, regularly shared Catholic imagery and followed several Catholic faith-based accounts.
Online genealogy records also indicate that both of Santos’ grandparents were born in Brazil years before the Nazi rise to power in Germany. Members of Santos’ family were not listed in refugee records from the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
Santos has milked what he now describes as family lore throughout his campaign and in the aftermath of his election. In November, he made an appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s (RJC) annual summit, where House Speaker hopeful Kevin McCarthy boasted that Santos was now a part of the largest Republican Jewish caucus in the last two decades. An aide to senior congressional GOP leadership told the New York Post on Monday that Santos’ many lies were somewhat of a “running joke” among the party. The aide did not specify if exaggerations about Santos’ religious heritage were a part of the punchline.
Santos was also invited by the RJC to light the first candle of the organization’s Hanukkah menorah in December.
On Tuesday, the RJC indicated that Santos would not be welcome at any of their events going forward in light of the news. “We are very disappointed in Congressman-elect Santos,” read a statement released by the group. “He deceived us and misrepresented his heritage. In public comments and to us personally, he previously claimed to be Jewish. He has begun his tenure in Congress on a very wrong note.”
Santos has rebuffed calls for his resignation, telling New York’s WABC that he plans to be sworn in and assume office.
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