President Donald Trump recently named five new members to the US Holocaust Memorial Council, including a former cast member of the reality television program “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”
On May 5, Trump announced the appointments of Tila Falic, Rabbi Nate Segal, Lee Lipton, Jackie Zeckman, and Siggy Flicker, who was a cast member on two seasons of the “Real Housewives” franchise and whose stepson was charged in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump also reappointed New York financial executive Jonathan Burkan to the board of the US Holocaust Museum. Burkan is the honorary chairman of the Israel Heritage Foundation and was first appointed to the US Holocaust Memorial Council in 2019 during Trump’s first term.
“They are all strong supporters of Israel, and will ensure we, NEVER FORGET,” Trump wrote in a post on the social media site Truth Social.
The five appointments, along with eight others President Trump made last week, replace members of the museum board that had been previously named by President Joe Biden but were fired on April 29.
The announcement appointments are also allies or supporters of the president, including Flicker, whose Instagram bio includes “#1 Trump Supporter” and profile photo shows her standing next to the president and holding an Israeli flag.
“Thank you to the best President for appointing me to serve on the Holocaust Committee,” Flicker wrote in an Instagram post on May 8. “As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, this isn’t just an honor—it’s deeply personal. My father’s story is a reminder that silence is never an option. I carry his legacy with me, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to help preserve the truth and fight Jew-hatred.”
In April 2024, Flicker’s stepson Tyler Campanella was arrested and charged with five misdemeanors in connection with the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The FBI’s indictment of Campanella references an Instagram post from Flicker’s account showing an image of her stepson inside the US Capitol that day with the caption, “I love patriots so much. Stay safe Tyler. We love you.” The indictment said the Instagram post also included the hashtag StopTheSteal.
The Washington Post, which first reported the news of the new board appointments, noted that “the abrupt ouster and replacement of Biden appointees before their terms expired — a prerogative that no previous president had exercised regarding the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum — has sparked concerns from some supporters of the museum.”
The Washington Post also reported that the Biden-appointed council members removed by Trump included Doug Emhoff, husband of former vice president Kamala Harris, former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain, former labor secretary Tom Perez, former domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, former deputy national security adviser Jon Finer and Anthony Bernal, a former senior adviser to first lady Jill Biden.
