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Jewish start-up founders face hate for exposing antisemitic applicant's messages - interview

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Two Jewish American brothers, founders of a start-up, received an antisemitic message from a job applicant on the Handshake platform.
  • The applicant, a Cornell student, refused to work for Jewish employers, and later doubled down on his comments, citing negative experiences.
  • The incident went viral on social media, prompting a statement from Cornell University acknowledging a review of the report.

Jewish start-up co-founders Gabe and Aiden Einhorn encountered blatant antisemitism when a job applicant, Aiden Franco, a Cornell student, sent them a message on the Handshake platform stating, “Not interested in working for a jew. Thanks.”

Not interested in working for a jew. Thanks.

— Aiden FrancoThe antisemitic message sent by a job applicant to the Einhorn brothers on the Handshake platform.

Gabe Einhorn shared a screenshot of the message on X/Twitter, which quickly went viral. He expressed his dismay, suggesting the applicant's views were shaped by college and social media. Franco, instead of apologizing, commented on Einhorn's post, doubling down on his stance. He cited unpleasant personal experiences with Jewish people as the reason for his refusal, adding that the online backlash only reinforced his point.

This kid applied to our job on Handshake, we accepted him, and then he responded this. He probably knows nothing about Jews except for what they tell him in college and on social media. Sad world.

— Gabe EinhornGabe Einhorn's initial post on X/Twitter sharing the applicant's message.

Franco further claimed he had been "doxed and intimidated" by the Jewish community, which he felt justified his initial comment. The Einhorn brothers, who founded VryfID about 10 months ago to help landlords fill rental units, were seeking college interns. Gabe Einhorn stated his intention in posting the message was to highlight clear antisemitism, not to publicly shame Franco, as he had initially omitted the applicant's full name.

I was stating why I was not interested after you had asked to interview three times. I found out you were Jewish after the fact. My experiences with Jews have not been pleasant, both in person and online. This is not to say I haven’t had positive experiences, but on the aggregate, that is not the case.

— Aiden FrancoFranco's comment on Einhorn's post, doubling down on his antisemitic remarks.

Cornell University released a statement on June 9, acknowledging awareness of the report and affirming its commitment to a thorough review in accordance with university policy. The university stated it takes all reports of discrimination and hate speech seriously.

Given that I have been doxed and intimidated by your community, including having my personal life investigated for no other reason than a single comment, I can’t imagine any reasonable person not coming to a similar conclusion, per the post above.

— Aiden FrancoFranco's further justification of his comments on Einhorn's post.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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