Gateway School Board member resigns

O’Donnell accused of making anti-Semitic comments toward rabbi from Temple David

Gateway school board member Steve O’Donnell has resigned after he was accused of making anti-Semitic remarks but says he is not stepping down because of the controversy and that he stands by his comments.

Mr. O’Donnell was accused at a Thursday night meeting of making disrespectful comments about Rabbi Barbara Symons, who leads Temple David and is president of the MonroevilleInterfaith Ministerium.

A letter from members of the ministerium that was read at the meeting said that in addition to referring to Rabbi Symons as “Barb,” after a Feb. 27 meeting, Mr. O’Donnell twice asked her, “Do you know you have a thing on your head?” referring to the kippah, or yarmulke, that she wears.

Mr. O’Donnell refused to apologize for his actions Thursday night, saying that Rabbi Symons should apologize to him and criticized a separate letter she had sent about the incident.

“The only thing I can assume from your letter with respect to that is that you judge yourself to be superior to me, perhaps it’s because you’re a Jew … or perhaps because you’ve attained a certain level in your organization,” Mr. O’Donnell said.

Friday morning he sent an email to the board and its solicitor saying he would resign, effective April 4. The board still has to vote on the resignation. He said he had already intended to resign and the action wasn’t prompted by the call for him to step down.

In a Facebook post, board member Rick McIntyre had called for