Katy Perry
Katy Perry's dad has apologized for making anti-Semitic remarks. Reuters

Katy Perry's father has apologized for an anti-Semitic rant he made last week while preaching at an Ohio church.

The Rev. Keith Hudson, an evangelical pastor who, along with Perry's mother, raised the aspiring singer in a strict, religious home, came under fire for comments he made from the pulpit.

You know how to make the Jew jealous? he said at the nondenominational Church on the Rise, according to a report from TheWrap.com. Have some money, honey. You go to L.A. and they own all the Rolex and diamond places. Walk down a part of L.A. where we live and it is so rich it smells. You ever smell rich? They are all Jews, hallelujah! Amen.

The Anti-Defamation League announced on Tuesday that they accepted an apology from Hudson, who described his own language as hurtful and ugly in a letter.

I used images about Jews rooted in the worst anti-Semitism in the past, images that at times led to the persecution and murder of Jews, Hudson wrote, according to the ADL. I can't tell you where I picked up phrases and descriptions that became part of my vocabulary. I used them without ever considering what they meant.

He added that he was apologizing for the hurt he caused his Jewish friends.

We welcome Keith Hudson's apology and believe he now better understands why his words were so anti-Semitic and hurtful, ADL national director Abraham Foxman said in a statement. Religious leaders bear a responsibility to speak out against anti-Semitism, and it seems Mr. Hudson now realizes the power of his words. He should use his church pulpit to teach and preach against anti-Semitism.

The ADL made it clear in a statement on Monday that the organization did not hold Perry responsible in any way for her father's remarks.

Would these words have been made by any other pastor, we most likely would not have heard about it and his remarks would have remained within the confines of a congregation, Foxman said in a statement. But because this is the father of a pop celebrity, the anti-Semitic remarks he uttered are taking on a life of their own, both in the echo chamber of the Internet and in the real world. Katy Perry is blameless for her parents' behavior, and it is unfortunate that her good name is now attached to her father's words.