After Charlottesville, when the far-right marched chanting “Jews will not replace us,” a new word entered the vernacular: “Emboldened.” Many claimed that former President Trump’s rhetoric had “emboldened” extremists, specifically on racial rhetoric against migrants and Jews. It’s that exact word that came to my mind scrolling through Twitter following Kanye West’s doubling down on his anti-Semitic “death con 3” tweet.
His appearance on the “Drink Champs” podcast is a stream of nonsense, from stating that George Floyd wasn’t killed by a police officer’s knee to claiming that Jews are powerful because Catholic lawyers wouldn’t do divorces. What’s clear is that the man is mentally unstable. The danger isn’t necessarily Kanye himself, but those he has “emboldened.”
The accounts toasting West are full of classic anti-Semitism, that Jews control media, finance, politics, and will destroy anyone who dares go against “them.”
Some commentators are openly and proudly anti-Semitic. Others, West among them, argue “facts.” As in, many record label heads are Jewish, therefore Jews control the recording industry. They lack the skill to differentiate between individuals, overrepresented though they may be, and the entirety of a racial or ethnic group. It’s one thing to note that in Colorado today, Jews are in many political positions of power. It’s another to say “the Jews” control Colorado politics. Just like “the blacks” don’t control Denver, even though the city’s mayor and chief of police are black.
There are those who fully embrace black nationalist Farrakhan-style Jew hatred, falsely accusing Jews of running and operating the transatlantic slave trade. Not to be left out is the classic Palestinian-fueled smear that Jews aren’t Jews but are Khazars.
These “words” represent tangible attacks on Jews, such as those by white supremacists who are leafleting American neighborhoods — most recently in Cheyenne, as reported by the IJN — to the self-named Black Hebrew Israelites, of which Kanye said he was one, who targeted a kosher grocery in Jersey City in late 2019, murdering three.
We are grappling with the kind of anti-Semitism not seen in this country since sometime in the early 20th century. Kanye’s comments provoke fear because we wonder to what degree his words will “embolden” further attacks on Jews, who, according to the FBI, are already the most targeted group in the US.
A tangential aspect to Kanye’s comments that I find extremely sad is his accusation that Jewish label owners and managers “controlled the black voice.” Due to his personal beef, he denigrates the beautiful relationship between blacks and Jews in the music industry, where they worked together to create opportunities and vehicles for the black voice to be heard by millions of Americans.
Kanye West is the latest public figure making America a less safe place for Jews.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
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