U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) attends a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine safety concerns surrounding abortion medication, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
(Washington, DC) – Sen. Bernie Sanders has served on the board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for 18 years, and according to official records, has never attended a single meeting.
Sanders was appointed in 2007 to the Holocaust Memorial Council, which meets twice a year to help oversee one of the nation’s most important cultural institutions. Museum records show Sanders missed every meeting since joining, despite the museum being located just two miles from the U.S. Capitol.
The revelation has sparked a bipartisan revolt among fellow board members, who are now urging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to replace Sanders.
“There are two large meetings every year where people fly in from all over the country,” said board member Robert Garson. “But Bernie Sanders couldn’t be bothered to walk across the road.”
Another board member quipped that while the number 18 is meaningful in Judaism, “not in this case.”
Critics say Sanders’ total absence, combined with his repeated public accusations that Israel is committing genocide, directly clashes with the museum’s mission, especially as antisemitism and Holocaust distortion rise worldwide.
The Holocaust Memorial Council includes 55 presidential appointees and 10 congressional appointees, and members say there are plenty of qualified candidates who would actually participate.
