The rise of antisemitism isn’t limited to high-profile celebrities — this form of prejudice has been increasing over the last several years, according to multiple reports.
The Tree of Life synagogue massacre in 2018 and the Charlottesville rally in 2017 were tragedies that showed antisemitism and hate that spiraled into violence.
Recently, Kanye West has faced criticism for several antisemitic comments, such as, “I see good things about Hitler.” West’s comments came during a recent interview with Alex Jones. Jones responded, “I think most Jewish people are great. I agree there’s a Jewish mafia.”
West was suspended from Twitter on Thursday, which Elon Musk said was due to “incitement to violence.”
Former President Donald Trump recently had dinner with West and Nick Fuentes. The Department of Justice identified Fuentes as a white supremacist because he “has threatened violence against Jewish people and spread hate against Black Americans and other groups. The Department of Justice identified him as a white supremacist last year,” per the Deseret News,
The Deseret News also reported that Kyrie Irving came under fire for making antisemitic comments and promoting an antisemitic film in October.
Last month, the FBI warned about a broad threat against New Jersey synagogues. The New York Times spoke with Rabbi Marc Katz, who explained that the synagogue had been fearing violence for a while. “Over the past several years, the temple has added boulders out front as blockades, layered a shatterproof film on its windows and replaced locks. An armed guard is on duty every time the school or synagogue is in use, and there are cameras everywhere, he said.”
Antisemitism has been in the news recently because it’s resurging in America, reports show. Here’s an explainer on what antisemitism is, how it’s resurging and what you can do to stop antisemitism and be an advocate for love and pluralism.
What is antisemitism?
Antisemitism is a form of discrimination or prejudice against Jewish people.
The Anti-Defamation League, an organization which tracks antisemitism, defines it as “prejudice and/or discrimination against Jews as individuals and as a group. Anti-Semitism is based on stereotypes and myths that target Jews as a people, their religious practices and beliefs, and the Jewish State of Israel.”
Yair Rosenberg wrote for The Atlantic, “Unlike many other bigotries, anti-Semitism is not merely a social prejudice; it is a conspiracy theory about how the world operates.” Rosenberg explained that antisemitism involves scapegoating Jewish people.
The ADL explained that antisemitism has existed for centuries.
Blood libel (falsely accusing Jewish people of killing people for rituals) and other forms of scapegoating Jewish people (such as how some blamed the bubonic plague on Jewish people during the Middle Ages) are forms of antisemitism, the ADL said.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum said that the Nazi party in Germany began blaming an economic downturn on Jewish people. From around 1933 onward, the Nazi party and Hitler began amplifying these types of accusations.
The Nazi party systematically murdered approximately six million Jewish people, according to The National World War II Museum. This is a known holocaust that occurred between 1939 and 1945.
Holocaust denial is also a form of antisemitism.
Emily Snider, an associate regional director at the ADL, said to NPR, “Jews are centered in a lot of conspiracy theories, especially around economy or power or greed or whatever. Those are core antisemitic tropes. So when we start to see unrest, we tend to see antisemitic incidents climb.”
According to the ADL, antisemitism is connected to the conspiracy theory known as QAnon. Erica Evans explained in the Deseret News that QAnon is a set of conspiracy theories, like the existence of a global child trafficking ring run by politicians and Hollywood figures.
The ADL said, “QAnon’s antisemitism has been most visible at two points: its beginnings — when it emerged from the swastika-studded fever swamp that is 4chan — and the present, when the most popular QAnon influencer, GhostEzra, is an open Nazi who praises Hitler, admires the Third Reich, and decries the supposedly treacherous nature of Jews.”
Antisemitism propagates hateful stereotypes and conspiracy theories.
Is antisemitism rising?
For 15 years in the U.S., antisemitism was in decline, according to PBS. In 2016, antisemitism started rising again and now there is a record high number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S.
The ADL found that 2021 had the highest percentage of antisemitic incidents recorded. In a report, the ADL said that there was a total of 2,717 incidents reported in 2021.
The ADL began tracking in 1979 and indicated that across virtually every category that they track (assault, harassment and vandalism), the number of incidents increased. The ADL said that in 2021, assault rose 167% from 2020 to 2021.
In a 2021 report from The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, 24% of American Jews said that they had experienced antisemitism.
Jewish people have frequently been the No. 1 target of hate crimes in the U.S.
The Uniform Crime Reports provide statistics on hate crimes in the U.S. According to the most recent report from 2019, anti-Jewish hate crimes are the No. 1 form of anti-religious crime. This is nearly consistent across the crime reports.
How to stand up against antisemitism
Good-willed people can help create a pluralistic democracy devoid of prejudice by standing up to discrimination.
Get to know Jewish people
Rosenberg advised on Twitter that people learn about Jewish people today to dispel the stereotypes they may hear. He added that it’s important to learn about the history of the Holocaust, but “the problem arises when it becomes the entirety of the education.”
If you are in a religious group or church, consider hosting an interfaith meal with a local synagogue to break bread and fellowship together.
Learn about Jewish history in its entirety and read the perspectives of Jewish writers. Follow Jewish writers on social media and read their work.
Become educated about the Holocaust
Not many Americans are educated about the Holocaust.
Katrina Lantos Swett, daughter of Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos, said that there is a lack of education around the Holocaust in America. “A full 63% of respondents ages 18-39 did not know that six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust and 48% could not name a single one of the more than 40,000 extermination camps and ghettos in Europe.” This was a 2020 50-state survey of millennials and Gen Z with 1,000 nationwide interviews.
Become educated by reading books like “Night” by Elie Wiesel, “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank, “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry, “Maus” by Arthur Spiegelman and other books to learn what happened.
Consider visiting The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, located in Washington, D.C. The museum’s website also has several available resources, like the survivors’ database and articles on how to confront antisemitism.
Other suggestions
There are also other ways to combat antisemitism.
- Avoid stereotyping Jewish people. Prejudicial attitudes usually portray a group monolithically in a harmful manner. Avoid stereotyping Jewish people and recognize the diversity and humanity of Jewish people.
- When you hear an antisemitic remark, have a conversation to correct the remark and explain why it’s wrong.
- Educate yourself on the resurgence of antisemitism and read research about what policies may reduce it. Change of policy and change of culture can contribute to a reduction in antisemitism.