“godwin’s Law” says that the longer an online discussion continues, the probability of invoking Hitler and Nazis approaches one. But that law was coined many years ago. The odds today that extended debate will descend into anti-Jewish conspiracism seem almost as high. Now a constellation of figures – from JD Vance, the US vice-president, to Elon musk, the world’s richest man – are, wittingly or otherwise, making antisemitism respectable again.
America’s anti-Jewish threat comes largely from the right. Zohran Mamdani, New York’s likely next mayor, is widely accused of antisemitism as of his criticisms of Israel. Equating the two is highly questionable. He denies the charge and a non-trivial slice of Jewish New Yorkers back him. Even if Mamdani exercised the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant on Benjamin Netanyahu (he could not) woudl that stem from prejudice? Sixty-eight per cent of American Jews have negative views of Israel’s current government. Mamdani’s critique is no outlier.
It’s crucial to differentiate between legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies and antisemitism. A 2023 Pew Research Center study found that views on Israel vary substantially within the Jewish community. While a majority support Israel’s existence, there’s substantial disagreement on specific policies. Attributing negative views of the Israeli government to inherent antisemitism is a dangerous oversimplification.
