Much discussion about the threats to American Jews seem to revolve around whether to be more worried about the hatred emanating from the anti-Israel left or that from the white-supremacist right—or perhaps equally worried by both. The popular recording artist Kanye West’s recent series of anti-Semitic pronouncements, Tal Fortgang writes, suggest our attention should be directed elsewhere:
For better or worse, West is better known than, say, Marjorie Taylor Greene or Edward Said. He made his comments on radio shows and podcasts that enjoy big followings but evade outgroup attention, much less analysis.
Another lesson concerns the responses of West’s interlocutors. Sadly, those interviewing him during his outburst tended to nod along, rather than question him, and they certainly did not try to signal to the public that West was trafficking in anti-Semitic lunacy.
Finally, it’s impossible to miss the striking similarity between West’s rantings and those we are long accustomed to hearing from Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam, and Black Hebrew Israelites. Watchdog groups offer various estimates, but West’s pitch-perfect imitation of Farrakhan suggests that they may be undercounting how many are influenced by the Nation of Islam leader, who regularly suggests that Jews are demons and exploiters. The basketball star Kyrie Irving, it’s worth noting, recently promoted a 2018 film redolent of Black Hebrew Israelite themes, including the accusation that Jews controlled the slave trade and worship the devil.
We know that Farrakhan is an icon in some black communities—his image appears on everything from Black Lives Matter murals to Democratic National Convention photographs, smiling next to Barack Obama—but this brand of thinking might be far more influential among regular Americans than previously known.
Read more on City Journal: https://www.city-journal.org/why-kanye-wests-anti-semitism-matters