Once toothpaste comes out of the bottle, it is impossible to put it back in. So once the words of hatred came out of Kanye West's mouth, they could not be put back in.
Antisemitism—raw and unfiltered—became part of the story of one of America's most well-known and successful entertainers.
I didn't want to write about Kanye because I don't want to give attention to hate. But several people have asked me about it, and for better or worse, Kanye's words have brought antisemitism into broader public discussion.
What Happened?
So what did he say? Two remarks stand out.
First, he said Jewish people have “owned the Black voice” and that “the Jewish community, especially in the music industry…they’ll take us and milk us till we die.”
He also said he planned to go to "Defcon 3" on the Jewish people, and that Jared Kushner tried to make peace between Jews and Arabs just so he could make money.
He framed his action in heroic terms, saying he's “#MeToo-ing the Jewish culture. I’m saying y’all gotta stand up and admit to what you been doing.”
The Old is New Again
Kayne's words echo classical antisemitic themes.
The first is Jewish control of the media. This charge started in Tsarist Russia with a fictional work describing a plot for Jewish groups to take over internal control of Russia.
It morphed into another book of lies suggesting the Jewish conspiracy aimed at global domination. That book is known as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and it is still for sale in many Arab countries.
The second myth is Jewish manipulation of others for profit. Kanye seems to say Jews use Black entertainers to make money, and that he is exposing this practice in the same way brave women exposed sexual harassment in the Me-Too movement.
Both these themes—Jewish control of the media and desire to suck up money from other people's work—appeared prominently in Nazi Germany. Hitler called Jews parasites.
Throughout history, these lies gave ideological permission for people to dehumanize an entire people. Jews could be attacked because instead of contributing to society, they unfairly manipulate and profit from it.
If you want to refute these myths, you can do so easily. "The media" is diverse and mostly controlled by large corporations, which are owned by shareholders and mutual funds.
Is Rupert Murdoch of Fox News Jewish? Is the CEO of Comcast or the Russian News Network Jewish? No.
And even if they were, it does not matter. I certainly believe news networks are biased, but there is no such thing as "Jewish" control, whatever that means.
The idea of profiting off others’ entertainment is equally ludicrous. The first prominent American musician to play together with Black artists was Benny Goodman, a Jewish clarinetist from Chicago.
What You Can Do
Instead of answering Kanye's lunacy, the more useful response is to speak out.
My colleague Rabbi David Wolpe put it eloquently when he said,
"But even more important [than Jews speaking out] is condemnation within the community of people who make such statements. Black leaders and musicians must condemn Kanye....
Just as Jews have a responsibility to speak up when Jews say or do something that is wrong (this is Biblical, Leviticus 19:17) each community must monitor and rebuke its own. That is how we build goodness and trust between each other."
In other words, speaking out against antisemitism is not primarily a Jewish responsibility. It is, first and foremost, the responsibility of the person or group from which hate emerges.
Condemnation must also come from all people of goodwill who know hating one group usually masks hatred of others.
Innocence Shattered
I first started to notice the upsurge in antisemitism in 2015. I began a book on it then, and the book was released shortly after the horrific murder of 11 Jews at prayer in Pittsburgh in 2018.
As a child growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, I never experienced antisemitism. I never thought I would.
Sadly, what is old is new again.
Thank YOU for being people of decency and hope. Thank YOU for being supportive of my mission to connect Christians and Jews. Our learning together enacts our faith as a source of love and belonging, rather than hate and division.
I'd Like to See Ol Kanye West Wriggle His Way Out of THIS Jam!
*Ye wriggles his way out of the jam easily*
Ah! Well. Nevertheless,
PL, agreed. Two very different critters.