Citibank has fired one of its personal bankers for posting "revolting" content on Instagram that endorsed the mass killing of Jewish people during the Holocaust. Nozima Husainova, 25, a CUNY Brooklyn College graduate, triggered backlash with a comment she posted on her Instagram account, which has since been removed.
In response to a post regarding the Gaza hospital bombing that killed nearly 500 people, which Israel has denied, Husainova wrote on Instagram, "No wonder why Hitler wanted to get rid of them all," accompanied by a smiley face emoji. A spokesperson for Citi described Husainova's remarks as "revolting" and said that hate speech would not be accepted within their bank.
Fired for Her Hate Speech
Husainova has since deleted her post along with her Instagram and other social media accounts but that could help her save her job at Citibank. The bank confirmed on Thursday that she has since lost her job.
Husainova had posted the inflammatory comment in response to a discussion about the Gaza hospital bombing, initially attributed to Israel but later determined to be caused by the misfire of a rocket by the Islamic Jihad terror group.
"We terminated the employment of the person who made the revolting antisemitic comment on social media. We condemn antisemitism and all hate speech and do not tolerate it in our bank," a spokesman told DailyMail.com.
Critics on social media condemned Husainova's support for the Holocaust as "vile" and "unbridled antisemitism."
"Hey Citi, does your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion include nazis?" wrote Daniel S Levy on X, formerly Twitter.
"What does it say about Citi," asked Marian Kruss.
"This is NOT inclusiveness and your organization needs to fire her."
"Where can I send a complaint about one of your employees, Nozima Husainova, praising Hitler's extermination of Jews?" asked Lenny Luchese.
"Or does Citi condone her words? Vile and despicable."
"We are investigating this matter and taking appropriate disciplinary action, We strongly condemn antisemitism and other hate speech," the bank said in a tweet.
Following her firing, StopAntisemitism posted to X: "Thank you Citi for saying NO! to antisemitism," while other users expressed gratitude that the bank "did the right thing."
Zero Tolerance for Antisemitism
According to her LinkedIn profile, which has since been removed, Husainova graduated in finance from CUNY Brooklyn College in June 2021. She then landed a job as a personal banker at Citi.
This role involved "fostering relations with customers to build loyalty and to help increase sales to individual consumer clients," according to the bank.
Based on information from the recruiting website Glassdoor, the typical salary for a Citi employee in a role similar to Husainova's is slightly below $75,000 annually.
Husainova worked in this entry-level position at the Wall Street firm for only two years before her termination.
Following the Hamas terrorist attack that claimed 1,400 lives, several top CEOs have issued warnings that they would not hire students who placed blame on Israel.
So much so that one of the most prestigious law firms in America, withdrew job offers from three students who put the blame on Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attacks.
Davis Polk retracted job offers for those they believed were leading organizations at Harvard and Columbia universities, which issued statements placing blame on Israel for the violence.
The firm stated that they would reconsider the decision for two of the students who appealed, asserting they did not authorize the unsigned letters.
Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman led the initiative, emphasizing his request for Harvard to disclose the list of signatories of the controversial letter. The letter had drawn criticism for not openly condemning Hamas.
"If you were managing a business, would you hire someone who blamed the despicable violent acts of a terrorist group on the victims?" Ackman — the founder of New York hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management — shared to his X account last week. "I don't think so."
Even though some criticized Bill Ackman's efforts to remove the students as "harassment," the 57-year-old remained unfazed by the criticism.
Notably, at least twelve business executives, including Jonathan Newman, the CEO of Sweetgreen, David Duel, the CEO of EasyHealth, and Ale Resnik, the CEO of Belong, a rental housing startup, supported Ackman's stance.
