On December 18th, 2022, the world woke up to a crossword puzzle by the New York Times, that was shaped like a swastika. The only statement released by the NYT simply stated that the shape was only used for its 'symmetrical shape'.

Join in to raise your voice, and express your thoughts to the leadership of the NYT by:

SENDING an EMAIL to the people in charge of the New York Times, demanding they issue an apology.

Read the email below:

Dear Meredith, Philip and other New York Times decision-makers,

On December 18th, 2022, on the first day of Hanukkah, the New York Times published a crossword, ‘Some Theme’s Missing’, which was shaped like a swastika.

You have been contacted, called out, emailed and requested nicely to issue an apology in the past couple of days. The benefit of the doubt was given by many, but sadly the only answer was a deflection from the shape alleging that it was only used for its symmetrical shape while the damaging nature of the shape was ignored.  

Your behaviour concerning this matter indicates that at best you are ignorant about the damage this can do and at worst you are condoning a message that many perceive as tacit moral support to kill Jews. Your crosswords, articles and most importantly your effective silence in regard to antisemitism contribute to the current rise in antisemitic incidents around the United States, especially in New York.

Therefore, I request that Will Shortz and the New York Times issues an apology as soon as possible. In addition to that, we want to know what steps will you take to ensure that this never happens again?

Looking forward to your apology and hearing about the way forwards!