Conversations online about antisemitic conspiracy theories have significantly increased this past week, and in particular mentions of “New World Order” and George Soros, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, have soared. One of the reasons for this increase was reports that Musk called for an investigation against Soros for controlling information, a report that first came out in May 2022. Soros, a longtime target of conspiracy theorists, is often accused of masterminding global plots and manipulating events to further his goals. Many of these dog whistles employ classic antisemitic rhetoric that powerful Jews are plotting to control global events. Soros, Gates, and Schwab are also typically talked about in relation with the New World Order, a belief that a plan has been developed by members of government and the progressive social elites to create a tyrannical, totalitarian world government that will eliminate individual’s freedoms.

 

A Times Of Israel article is being criticized for comparing the severity of antisemitic remarks made by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, and actor Jenna Ortega, who is starring in the Netflix series “Wednesday”. The article argues that Ortega’s actions - sharing a link to a website that vilifies Israel in March 2022 - was more harmful than the many things Ye said about Jews. Ortega’s “antisemitism of the well-intentioned but uninformed” is argued to be more dangerous because Ortega doesn't recognize the underlying antisemitism and misinformation found within these messages. 

People online were disturbed by the comparison between Ortega and Ye, who has praised Adolf Hitler and appeared on podcasts with infamous antisemites. The article has sparked a discussion of the relationship between antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

As the world rang in the new year, Jews continued to be targeted by antisemitic messages and vandalism:

 

 

 

 

info@fcas.org | fcas.org