The third example in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism states, "Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews."
Throughout history, the Jewish people have often been accused of heinous crimes and of being the cause of society’s problems, especially tragedies—whether health, economic or political—that were difficult, if not impossible, to explain. This phenomenon isn’t only deeply problematic; it is antisemitic.
This trope is often used to falsely malign the Jewish people and paint them as a homogeneous group. The perpetrators of conspiracy myths, on the other hand, are portrayed as the lone hero attempting to unmask the secret powers of evil.
Unfortunately, this phenomenon has mutated, especially with the advent of social media, which has made it increasingly easier for users to spread disinformation, blame Jews for global problems, and spread hateful rhetoric. It originates from both ends of the political spectrum and has manifested itself during antisemitic attacks against Jews, including at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
Antisemites not only attempt to use conspiracy myths to provide an easy and straightforward explanation for a seemingly inexplicable thing, but also use them to confirm their prior beliefs. According to Dr. Daniel Jollay, a social psychologist at Northumbria University in Britain who has written about conspiracy myths, “The [conspiracy myths] people gravitate towards the most are often the ones that mirror their existing biases.” Therefore, it seems likely that the current pandemic, and the antisemitic conspiracy myths that have emerged along with it, have uncovered a deep reservoir of antisemitism around the world.
The trope that Jews are responsible for the world’s ills is connected to the idea that Jews are only loyal to their own community.
What are other manifestations?
- Blaming Jews for the death of Jesus
- Accusing Jews of being responsible for the Bubonic Plague
- Alleging that Jews poisoned wells (in an attempt to kill Christians)
- Alleging that Jews used the blood of missing children for Passover matzah
- Accusing Jews of ritual murder, e.g., Anderl von Rinn, the Damascus Affair, Simon of Trent, etc.
What are its modern-day manifestations?
Modern day manifestations include:
- Blaming Jews for the coronavirus pandemic or accusing Jews of benefiting from it, or creating it to hurt Palestinians.
- Blaming Jews for seemingly random murders and other horrific crimes—including the modern rumors of organ harvesting in Israel and Jews (or Zionists) eating Palestinian children and drinking their blood.
- Blaming Jews for ineffective government policy.
- Blaming Israel for problems in the Middle East and across the world.
- Alleging that Israeli Mossad agents were behind the 9/11 attacks or that Israel created ISIS
- Claims that “the Jews” created the coronavirus vaccine as a means with which to kill large numbers of people in an attempt to reduce the world’s population or other similar conspiracy myths
- Claiming Jews / Israelis ”poison Palestinian wells”
The origin of scapegoating Jews
Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, the Biden administration’s nominee for the State Department’s special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism, has explained that these conspiracy myths can be traced back to the origins of Christianity, in particular Jesus’s death. According to Dr. Lipstadt, the Church taught that “the Jews” conspired to kill Jesus — even though Jewish individuals did not actually kill him. This paved the way for the undermining and marginalization of Judaism.
“Jews, [early Christians] argued, repudiated this new faith because of their inherent maliciousness,” Lipstadt writes. “This formulation rendered Judaism more than just a competing religion. It became a source of evil.”
This antisemitic diatribe was codified in the early-20th-century publication of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which has become a foundational document of much of modern-day antisemitism. The Protocols falsely revealed a “Jewish plan for world conquest” and over the takeover of industries, governments, and media in order to advance a hidden Jewish agenda. Despite its numerous inaccuracies, the book been translated into dozens of languages and disseminated around the world.
There are several theories as to why antisemitic accusations, despite their absurdity, have gained traction. One explanation is that given that they have been entrenched in society for so long, they are extremely difficult to eradicate. Furthermore, the allegations provided a mechanism with which to explain otherwise inexplicable and often depressing situations: blame them on the all-powerful and evil Jew.
Understanding Antisemitism:
Antisemitism is a complex, multifaceted hatred. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism is considered the gold standard in understanding the phenomenon and has been used by governments and institutions to identify and monitor it.
The IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism states:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The definition includes a list of eleven reference examples to aid in the identification of antisemitism, but most relevant are the following:
- Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as a collective — such as, especially, but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government, or other societal institutions.
- Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
- Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
What the WJC is doing about it:
The WJC has been a leader in tracking antisemitism, conspiracy myths, and disinformation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two reports released in November 2020 by the WJC found that harmful conspiracy myths targeting Jews have been increasingly widespread online and that the once United States-centric movement QAnon has spread and is evident in Europe as well. Across social media the use of phrases such as “Jewish virus” and epithets such as “kike” and “dirty Jew” have increased.
Since the initial spread of the coronavirus in March 2020, the reports demonstrate that there has been an acute rise in online antisemitic activity, often–but not exclusively–linked to the pandemic, as many more activities moved into the digital sphere.
At WJC’s 16th Plenary Assembly a resolution was passed outlining the state of antisemitism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution:
- CONDEMNS the targeting of Jews and other minorities, in particular Asians and individuals of Asian descent, as responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic in many parts of the world;
- FURTHER CONDEMNS the targeting of Jews as convenient scapegoats in an alarming revisiting of other periods throughout history when Jews were blamed during times of crisis, including, for example, for poisoning wells and causing the Bubonic Plague;
- DEPLORES the fact that despite this pandemic’s universal effect, disinformation, antisemitic hate speech and conspiracy myths are increasingly being disseminated, both on- and offline;
With that resolution in mind, WJC is assisting social media organizations in recognizing such antisemitic stereotypes and conspiracy myths, so they can recognize and remove such content from their platforms.
