El Pais, Spain's main newspaper, came under fire on Tuesday for reporting that Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who will be presiding over the Maduro trial, is impartial "despite being a prominent member of the Jewish community."
Hellerstein is a a 92-year-old Orthodox Jewish judge who was appointed to the federal court nearly three decades ago by Bill Clinton.
The El Pais passage, which has now been edited, read "Hellerstein, who studied law at Columbia University (New York), began his career as a clerk in the court he now presides over. Throughout his career, he has issued well-reasoned rulings and strived to maintain impartiality, despite being a prominent member of the Jewish community."
The English version of the article now reads: "Throughout his career, he has issued well-reasoned rulings and has a reputation for impartiality. He has written that the way in which a judge decides a case should not depend on his religious education, religious identity or religious values."
'Jewish identity is not a conflict of interest'
"What disgusting antisemitism we have to put up with from El Pais," said Israel Special Envoy for Trade & Innovation and Former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum.
"Jewish identity is not a conflict of interest," said the European Jewish Congress. "Such language reinforces bias and has real consequences for how Jews are perceived in public life."
"Media have a responsibility to avoid words that legitimize prejudice and to correct them when they do."