A Texas teacher was fired last week for assigning the graphic novel adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank to her eighth grade class. The book has been banned from schools across the country because of passages depicting human genitalia, as told by Frank in her original diary. The school district allegedly had not approved the book, yet the teacher had her students read passages out loud during class. 

 

Many users condemned the firing, citing Frank’s diary as a critical text in Holocaust education. Some made the connection to the rise in book bans nationwide, expressing their concern for censorship in education. The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and the Shawn Carter Foundation recently partnered in an effort to oppose book bans across the country.

Other users defended the district’s decision for preventing eighth graders from reading sexually explicit material, claiming that the graphic adaptation is not an accurate depiction of Frank’s experience.

 

Former President Donald Trump received backlash this week after posting a Rosh Hashanah message on Truth Social. His message to “liberal Jews” was superimposed on a photo of a flyer called “Wake Up Sheep. What Nazi/Anti Semite ever did this for the Jewish people or Israel?” listing his past policy decisions. JEXIT, a group encouraging Jewish voters to leave the Democratic Party, created the flyer to promote Trump’s policy regarding Israel and Holocaust education, and to disprove claims that Trump is antisemitic.

 

Many Jewish users interpreted his message as threatening to Jews who voted against him in 2020, finding it offensive to specifically criticize the community during the holiday with ominous messaging. Some pointed out his message was rooted in the “dual loyalty” stereotype, assuming Jews are more loyal to Israel than their home country.

Other users defended Trump, agreeing with his message and thanking him for his wishes for the Jewish New Year. Some of his supporters cited policies Trump passed while in office to combat claims of antisemitism.

Rosh Hashanah was celebrated last weekend, beginning the Hebrew year 5784.

 

Rosh Hashanah, known as the Jewish New Year, signifies the beginning of the High Holy Days—a period of introspection and renewal for Jews. Across social media platforms, Jews and non-Jews alike extended wishes for a healthy and sweet New Year to those who celebrate. Notable individuals ranging from politicians to celebrities reflected on the past year and looked forward to the next.

 

Shana Tova!

 

Conversations related to the Great Replacement Theory spiked this week after some users claimed the Democratic Party is celebrating the “replacement” of white people with immigrants and people of color. An old video of President Biden where Biden speaks about white people becoming the minority in America and how it is “not a bad thing,” has resurfaced after multiple conspiracy theorists reposted it on X, formerly known as Twitter. The video is driving the conversations on the Great Replacement Theory this week, and many conspiracy theorists are saying the video showed the Great Replacement Theory is “real.” The conspiracy theory was additionally fueled by conversations related to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) addressing the current migrant crisis to a crowd of protestors on September 15, and British journalist Michael Crick allegedly encouraging mass immigration in a recent television clip aired on GB News.

The Great Replacement Theory is rooted in antisemitism, as those who believe the theory claim that Jews are orchestrating the replacement of white people and implementing policy to increase immigration in majority-white countries.

 

Discussion about the Rothschild conspiracy theory increased this week after prominent X accounts promoted the family’s role in the World Economic Forum. 

 

The conspiracy theory claims that the Rothschild banking family, dating from the 19th century, is in control of the U.S. Federal Reserve System and, in effect, in control of all the money in the world. This conspiracy theory is antisemitic because it relies on stereotypes that Jews are greedy and want to obtain power by any means possible. 

 

Discussions of the “Khazarian Mafia” conspiracy have increased because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington and spoke to the United Nations General Assembly this week. 

Conspiracy theorists claim that Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of Khazars, a semi-nomadic group that moved to what is now modern-day Ukraine, and therefore have no historical claim to Israel. This antisemitic conspiracy, originating in the eighth century, claimed the Khazars were secretly planning to build a mafia empire for worldwide financial domination. In this case, theorists are claiming that the Khazarian Mafia is pushing for the war in Ukraine and using this as a reason to criticize the conflict.

 

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