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Anti-Semitic "Joke" Costs Ronan Tynan His Yankees Gig
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 16, 2009
Modified Oct 16, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 16, 2009
Modified Oct 16, 2009
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Ronan Tynan is a celebrated Irish tenor who sings "God Bless America," at Yankee Stadium during the formerly forced seventh inning patriotism stretch. He was supposed to perform at tonight's American League championship opening game between the Yankees and the Angels, but the Yankees have thrown him under the bus following some awkward, anti-Semitic comments Tynan made in his East Side apartment building.
On Thursday Tynan bumped into a real estate agent showing an apartment on his floor to a potential buyer, a pediatrician from NYU Medical Center named Gabrielle Gold-von Simson. The real estate agent quipped to Tynan, "Don’t worry, they are not Red Sox fans," to which Tynan replied, "I don’t care about that, as long as they are not Jewish." Tynan insists it was a joke—hilarious, right? A flabbergasted Gold-von Simson says she asked the singer, "Why is that?" and he explained that some Jewish women had looked at the apartment, and they were "scary." That Tynan, what a panic.
Tynan has since apologized to Gold-von Simson and promised to make a donation to the NYU pediatric center. He also tried to clear things up by talking to NBC New York, insisting, "I’m not anti-Semitic and I have never been in my life. There are three members of my band that are Jewish. And I love them like brothers. I call them my brothers from another mother." Ah, the old, "I have ____ friends" defense. But will it be enough? Next time Tynan sings at Yankee Stadium again, he better belt out "Hashem Bless America" for good measure.
Tagged
anti-semitic
god bless america
irish
jewish
nyc
Ronan Tynan
singer
tenor
Yankees
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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