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Sheriff Fred Harran, who is Jewish, released a statement on Friday, May 9, condemning Commissioner Bob Harvie for remarks made during a May 7 commissioners meeting in which Harvie warned of what he called parallels between current political conditions and pre-Holocaust Europe.
“It is, for someone who’s spent a lot of time studying World War II, there are definite parallels that I see happening,” Harvie said, as reported by PhillyBurbs. “Not nearly as great as what happened in 1920s Italy or 1930s Germany, but certainly not too far away from being in the same ballpark.”
The remarks were made during a discussion about Harran’s application to join the 287(g) program, a controversial federal partnership that allows local law enforcement to help identify and detain undocumented immigrants charged with crimes.
Harran called Harvie’s comments “repugnant,” saying they insulted both law enforcement and Jewish history.
“I bore the grief of members of my mother’s family who were murdered by the Nazis,” Harran said. “I heard the stories of my father – a doctor in Patton’s Third Army – who liberated concentration camps and cared for fellow Jews dehumanized and destroyed by the cruelty of an evil and authoritarian regime.”
“His twisted version of history equates my deputies’ efforts to uphold the rule of law and keep our communities safe from known criminals to Nazi-era atrocities,” he added.
“Commissioner Harvie might like reading about World War II history. My family lived it.”
Danny Ceisler, a fellow Jew, veteran, and Harran’s political challenger, publicly defended Harvie — and criticized Harran for what he called a political stunt.
“Despite Mr. Harran’s insinuations, Commissioner Harvie did not call him a Nazi, nor did he invoke the Holocaust in any way,” Ceisler said. “Instead, he called out tactics being employed around our nation that are unmistakably reminiscent of those used in Germany before the Holocaust: the denial of due process, disregard for the rule of law, and the calculated spread of misinformation.”
Ceisler said Harran’s response undermines real efforts to confront rising antisemitism.
“The Jewish community has endured enough manipulation and scapegoating throughout history — it’s time to learn from those mistakes, not repeat them,” he said.
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