The man who said “it seems like the Jewish people keep on crying, and crying, and crying and crying, always crying over the antisemitism” during a meeting of the Washington State Human Rights Commission is still serving in his role as human rights commissioner more than a year later.

Luc fils Jasmin, a pastor who immigrated to the United States from Haiti, said at the March 2025 meeting, “This word ‘antisemitism’ has been around since the Jews got trampled by Hitler, and it seems like the Jewish people keep on crying and crying and crying and crying — always crying over the antisemitism.”

“These people, the Jewish, are killing by the millions over there, the Palestinians and the Arabs,” he said, using the word “Jewish” as a noun.

JNS, an Israel-based media outlet, asked Barbara Harris, executive director of the commission, what actions were taken to address Jasmin’s antisemitic rant, in which he complained about Jews complaining about antisemitism, said the commission was under duress to pass a resolution defining antisemitism, and blamed all Jews for the deaths of Gazan civilians.

Harris deflected.

“The governor’s office appoints commissioners and handles matters related to your inquiry,” she told JNS. “Given that the governor’s office previously reviewed this matter and investigated, I believe it is most appropriate to forward this correspondence to the governor’s office for any review or response deemed appropriate, rather than addressing the matter through the commission.”

The outlet also spoke to Jasmin’s son, Luc Jasmin III, who is running for state representative. He said he had emphasized to his father the strong ties between the Jewish and Haitian communities, but said that although Jasmin had apologized to the governor, he has not issued a public apology.

Solly Kane, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, said his office had tried unsuccessfully to contact Jasmin.

“Our office reached out directly to commissioner Jasmin earlier this week after these comments came to light to express our concerns and request he do some serious learning and reflection as well as issue an apology,” he told JNS. “We have not heard back from him.”

“At a time when the Jewish population is 2% of Americans but the target of approximately 70% of all religious-based hate crimes, for commissioner Jasmin to suggest that Jews are always ‘crying and crying’ about antisemitism reveals a stunning lack of understanding and awareness of the real threats the American Jewish community faces,” he added. “Commissioner Jasmin suggests that Jews are seeking special treatment when in fact all the Jewish community is looking for are the basic entitlements in this country of safety and religious freedom.”

Kane said that elected officials must “unequivocally condemn Commissioner Jasmin’s remarks and uphold their responsibility to be moral leaders in our community by making clear that offensive comments like these have no place in Washington state.”