Mayor quits exclusive golf club after members launch a bid to exclude President Obama 'because he's anti-Israel' 

  • Woodmont Country Club is considering inviting President Obama to join 
  • The country club in Rockville Maryland has a large number of Jewish members 
  • Some members are angry that Obama did not veto a UN vote critical of Israel
  • Local mayor Jeffrey Slavin has resigned his membership over the epic row 

By Darren Boyle for MailOnline

Published: 11:49 EST, 17 January 2017 | Updated: 13:04 EST, 17 January 2017

The mayor of a Maryland town where an exclusive golf club is considering blackballing President Obama over his Israel policy has resigned his position in the resort.

Jeffrey Slavin, mayor of Somerset in Maryland, announced on Martin Luther King Jr Day that he was resigning from the $10,000-a-year club as a result of the controversy. 

Members of Woodmont Country Club, which traditionally has a large number of Jewish members, are split over plans to award membership to the outgoing President. 

Reports suggest President Obama will be offered membership to Woodmount Country Club in Maryland, pictured, where the initiation fee has been set at $80,000 

Obama has faced criticism about the amount of time he spent golfing while president

Some members were angered by Obama's failure to stop a UN vote which censured Israel.

They were also highly critical of a speech delivered by Secretary of State John Kerry, which was also seen as an effort to attack he Israeli

In an email to his fellow members reported in the New York Post, Slavin wrote he could 'no longer belong to a community' that was so 'intolerant'. 

In the email, which was sent to the club's general manager, he wrote: 'Where Intolerance is accepted, Where History is forgotten, Where Freedom of Speech is denied, And where the nation’s first black president is disrespected.' 

He thanked members for the 'many great memories'.

Jeffrey Slavin, pictured, wrote to the club's general manager to announce his resignation

Members at the club are reportedly angry with President Obama for failing to veto a UN vote which criticised Israel.

Worse still for some members, Obama's secretary of state John Kerry then delivered a speech which was highly critical of the Israeli government. 

One source said: 'In light of the votes at the UN and the Kerry speech and everything else, there’s this major uproar with having him part of the club, and a significant portion of the club has opposed offering him membership.' 

It is understood those behind the effort to bring Obama into the club were willing to waive the $80,000 fee required from new members. Annual fees for the club, which is only a short distance from Washington DC are in the region of $10,000. 

A source added: 'Originally, this was supposed to be a back-door thing to get this done and give him the membership — free of charge — and circumvent the rules.' 

One member claimed Obama has done more to damage Israel than any other president. 

He added: 'After the UN vote and attack on Israel, I think it probably hurts the club. If there is a club that excludes Jews, he would probably be more comfortable around those folks.'

Obama, pictured arriving in his motorcade played the course in Rockville, Maryland on October 26, 2016, although a bid to grant him membership later this month could fail

The prestigious country club was established shortly before the First World War because many other country clubs would not admit Jewish people as members. 

As a result, the club has had strong links with members of the Jewish community. 

The president first played the course in September 2015. 

The club's general manager Brian Pizzamenti told Jewish newspaper The Forward: 'We’d be honored to have the president at the club as a member. We’re glad to have offered [Obama] fun and relaxation.'

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