Sen. Bernie Sanders has served on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s governing board for nearly two decades, but according to records obtained by The New York Post, the Vermont independent has not attended a single meeting during that time.

Sanders was appointed in 2007 to the Holocaust Memorial Council, the body that oversees the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which sits roughly two miles from the U.S. Capitol and meets twice a year. Records supplied by museum staff show that Sanders has missed every council meeting since his appointment.

The Holocaust Memorial Council was established by an act of Congress in 1980 and consists of 55 presidentially appointed members serving five-year terms, along with 10 members selected by congressional leadership — five each from the House and Senate. Sanders occupies one of the Senate-appointed seats.

Garson and Burkan are among roughly a dozen council members who have signed a letter urging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to replace Sanders, citing both his total non-attendance and his repeated public accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

“In the current context, with Jew hatred and Holocaust distortion rising globally, it is imperative that Senate-appointed representatives on the Council are fully engaged and steadfastly supportive of its mission,” the letter states.

Several signatories emphasized that the effort is not partisan. Alex Heckler, a longtime Democratic Party activist and fundraiser appointed to the board by former President Joe Biden, said Sanders’ continued presence is indefensible.

“[Sanders’] beliefs and public statements do not reflect the stated mission of the museum,” Heckler said. “Also, he has never attended a meeting in the years I have been on the Council.”

“This is not a partisan issue — just common sense,” Heckler added.

Another council member, Jimmy Resnick, a Trump appointee whose late father also served on the board, was blunt in his assessment. “Why take someone’s place who will show up?” Resnick said. “He doesn’t care. It’s like a non-existent position.”

Resnick noted that other Democratic appointees — including since-removed Biden selections Susan Rice and former second gentleman Doug Emhoff — attended meetings as recently as last year.

Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats and helped mainstream democratic socialism during his 2016 and 2020 presidential runs, published a lengthy statement last September accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

“The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable,” Sanders wrote at the time. He argued that the term “genocide,” which emerged from the Holocaust, must be applied consistently, warning that a lack of accountability would invite future atrocities.

Critics on the council say such rhetoric, combined with his total disengagement from the museum’s governing body, undermines the institution’s mission at a moment of rising Holocaust distortion.

It remains unclear why Sanders has never attempted to shape the museum’s educational direction, particularly given the historical role of socialists and socialist Zionists — including Israel’s first president David Ben-Gurion — in resisting Nazism and founding the Jewish state.

Sanders is one of ten Jewish senators currently serving in Congress, and critics argue there is no shortage of qualified alternatives who would actively participate.

The museum itself does not set government policy, but it remains one of the most significant Jewish cultural institutions in Washington and a central pillar of Holocaust education in the United States.

Sanders is not the only Senate-appointed member with a poor attendance record. Sen. Jacky Rosen has attended just two of the council’s last ten meetings, while Sen. Tim Scott has missed the past 13, though he did attend meetings in 2017 and 2019. Recently appointed Sen. Rick Scott has not yet attended but donated part of his Senate salary to the museum earlier this year. A fifth Senate-selected seat is currently vacant.

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