The comments Helen Thomas made about Israel May 27 during a Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at the White House have prompted some in the Jewish community to express concern over a statue of Thomas that is expected to be on display at the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in a few months. During the event, a rabbi asked Thomas, “any comments on Israel?” to which Thomas replied, “tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.”

Helen Thomas poses with a to-be-completed statue of her likeness to be disaplyed at Dearborn’s Arab American National Museum. Support for the statue can be pledged at www.kickstarter.com.

Thomas also said Palestinians are occupied and Jews should go home to Germany, Poland, America and everywhere else. Thomas is a former Hearst Newspapers columnist and White House correspondent who has covered every United States president from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama.  She was forced to retire after her remarks.

Arab American National Museum director Anan Ameri said the museum received a complaint about the statue via email. In a report from the Detroit Free Press, Jewish Community Relations Council president Richard Nodel said he hopes the statue is not being supported because of the comments Thomas made about Israel. In another report from the paper, Betsy Kellman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the statue is a reminder that there is a huge gap between the two communities and they are far apart in some areas. Jewish Voice for Peace member Barbara Harvey thinks Thomas deserves the statue. “The comments should not be allowed to eclipse her career. Helen Thomas has been an invaluable asset to the community. She has been straightforward and asked hard questions of many U.S. presidents. The comments that caused her to retire, I believe, were simply allowing her frustration with a tragic situation slip. She is a contributor to the Lebanese community,” Harvey said.

The museum began a fundraiser on kickstarter.com to earn the remaining $10,000 for the statue that is expected to cost between $25,000 to $30,000. It’s being created by former news photographer and Virginia based sculptor Susan Tinsley McElhinney. The project has been in the works for a year. Thomas is a member of the AANM board where one of her typewriters is on display in the Making an Impact exhibit.  Ameri said the statue honors the life and work of the journalistic icon. Thomas had a 67-year-long career and was known for putting public officials on the spot with vigorous questioning.

Thomas is the daughter of Lebanese Americans and a Detroit native who graduated from Wayne State University. She turned 90 Wednesday, Aug. 4. “Statements have been made against Arabs in this country. I didn’t see any cries over them,” Ameri said, “We judge people by their life work, she said one sentence and apologized. This is a woman who opened doors and set a tone for honest journalism in this country. I can’t judge her and all that she’s done by that sentence.”