A telecenter operator for Fidelity Investments is no longer employed after launching into an antisemitic tirade against a Jewish journalist who shared a story about her children’s summer camp, The Algemeiner reported on Tuesday.
Bethany Mandel, a Jewish author and columnist, publicly posted on Aug. 15 about how the presence of a misguided paraglider over the property appeared to pose “an imminent security threat.” Mandel explained that the camp, which fosters pride in Jewish identity and Zionism, was struck with panic as several Israeli counselors and campers recalled the use of paragliders in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The mother of six shared that the camp was ultimately safe, but her concern for Jewish life and the lives of her children seemed to trigger a host of reactions online.
“F**k you and f**k your kid who goes to Nazi summer camp!” Danielle Gordon, the now-former Fidelity employee, wrote in a direct message to Mandel. “Free Palestine from you sick f**ks!”
When Mandel confronted her, Gordon doubled down on her statements, writing, “I just f**king hate Zionists and any person who teach their children that genocide is OK, which is exactly what you’re doing when you send them to Zionist summer camp.”
Mandel shared her entire interaction with Gordon, who ultimately blocked her, to X. The exchange has amassed more than a million views on the social-media platform.
“I saw her message right after Shabbat, when I knew my kids were safe, but I was struck by the fact that she used her real name and photo, and felt emboldened to do so,” Mandel told JNS. “She felt so little shame about what she was saying; she was so certain of her moral stance, and that was extremely troubling.”
As far as the loss of Gordon’s employment, Mandel said it was a sad but necessary action.
“She forced Fidelity to act,” she told JNS. “You can’t behave that way and create that much bad PR for a company and expect to remain employed.”
“I hope she has someone in her life who will open her eyes to the fact that there is a world outside of TikTok, and that the story she gets from the media sources she utilizes is not giving her the full picture,” Mandel added. “It’s sad and tragic that her professional career is derailed, and I hope she tries to see where she went wrong as she rebuilds and reorients herself.”
Mandel told JNS that while the overall response to her “dust-up” with Gordon has been positive, it is the complete opposite of the general reaction to the post that sparked it.
“The response to my initial post, about my fear for the safety of my kids at their camp, was overwhelmingly negative,” she said, adding that she took down the post about her children because of it. There were “thousands of comments like Gordon’s, decrying Zionism and mocking the idea that Jews in America can possibly feel unsafe.”
It “shows just how divided our society is on Israel and the safety of Jews,” Mandel told JNS.
