Vampire Weekend's Surprising Jewish Stories
8 min read
Know your enemy.
Antisemitism is alive and well today. Identifying prominent antisemites gives us the opportunity to counter their narratives, challenge their ideas, and promote a culture of respect and acceptance. Here are nine you should know about, presented in alphabetical order.
Tucker Carlson is a conservative commentator and until his recent firing, was the host of the most popular Fox News show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight”. Carlson has been criticized for making controversial statements about Jewish people on his show. In 2019, he suggested that Jewish people were not loyal to America and were instead more loyal to Israel. These comments were widely condemned as antisemitic, prompting calls for his show's cancellation.
Abby Grossberg, a Jewish producer at Fox News, who was recently head of booking for Tucker Carlson and his primetime program, sued the network in March of 2023, painting a picture of an office culture rife with sexism and antisemitism. Carlson recently announced he’d be bringing a new version of his show to Twitter. Many Jews are not rejoicing.
Nick Fuentes is a prominent far-right Christian Nationalist, a white supremacist commentator, and the leader of the America First movement. He has been linked to antisemitism for his comments on the Holocaust, which he has described as a "myth" and "overhyped." This led to his permanent suspension from Twitter for violating the platform's policies on hate speech. YouTube also suspended his channel permanently for violating its hate speech policy.
He has also claimed that the Jews control the media and have too much power in American politics. During his speech at a white nationalist and far-right political conference, Fuentes bestowed "giggling praise" on Adolf Hitler. You’d think having a half-Mexican father would make one sympathetic to other minority groups. Apparently not.
John Galliano is a fashion designer who has been linked to antisemitism. In 2010, a drunken Galliano was caught on video insulting a group of Jewish women in Paris bar La Perle, saying: "I love Hitler... People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers would all be… gassed."
Galliano was subsequently fired from his position as creative director of Christian Dior. In France, the expression of antisemitic ideas is illegal. Galliano’s lawyer argued that his client’s outbursts in the bar were the result of "work-related stress and multiple addictions." On 8 September 2011, Galliano was found guilty of making antisemitic remarks and sentenced to a total of €6,000 in suspended fines.
Galliano has since apologized for his comments and sought treatment for addiction and mental health issues. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creative director of the Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela. But he remains out of the running for B’nai B’rith Man of the Year.
Mohamed Hadid is a Palestinian-American real estate developer and father of models Gigi and Bella Hadid. He spreads antisemitic misinformation and vile antisemitic conspiracy theories to millions that follow him on social media. In one post, he shared a quote that suggested that Jews were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In another Hadid compared Zionist Jews to Hitler. In 2019, he started comparing the Holocaust to the Israel/Palestinian conflict, falsely claiming Jews were murdering Palestinian children and committing genocide of Palestinians just as the Nazis did to the Jews. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ever resolved, it will not be thanks to Hadid’s efforts.
Jon Eugene Minadeo II, more commonly known as Handsome Truth, is an American antisemitic conspiracy theorist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and former rapper. He is the leader of the antisemitic hate group and conspiracy theory network Goyim Defense League (GDL). He is known for his video platform GoyimTV, banner drops, and his distribution of neo-Nazi propaganda.
Minadeo has suggested that Jewish people control the world's banks and media and were responsible for spreading the coronavirus. Minadeo has two neo-Nazi tattoos: a Totenkopf (skull) on his arm and SS Bolts on his torso. In August 2020, Minadeo did a banner drop over a Los Angeles highway that read "Honk if you know the Jews want a race war." In October 2022, he hung a banner above a Los Angeles highway that read "KANYE IS RIGHT ABOUT THE JEWS", referring to Kanye West's antisemitism.
In late February 2023, Minadeo, holding a microphone, was captured flashing Hitler salutes and shouting antisemitic language at people leaving a Chabad congregation in South Orlando, including yelling "Heil Hitler" and telling people to “go back to Israel” and asking one person "Sir, do you think you should be put in an oven?”
Does the name Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg ring a bell? If so, you’re probably into gaming, as that is the real name of Swedish gaming YouTube superstar PewDiePie.
Unfortunately, in his videos, he often uses film, anime, or cartoon criticism to convey antisemitic and hateful thoughts or imagery. In one video, he paid two men to hold up a sign that read "Death to All Jews." Kjellberg has apologized for his actions and claims that he was trying to be edgy and humorous. You know, because what’s funnier than jokes calling for another Holocaust?
One of his videos featured a man dressed as Jesus saying, “Hitler did absolutely nothing wrong”. The incidents led to him losing lucrative brand partnerships and facing criticism from his fan base. Erin Nyren of Variety commented that Kjellberg's "popularity continues unabated in spite of—or perhaps because of—the fact that he has been the subject of ongoing controversies." One hopes, however, that at some point karma will kick in.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia, has been linked to antisemitism due to several controversial statements and actions. In February 2021, a video surfaced of Greene making comments about the Rothschild banking family, a common target of antisemitic conspiracy theories. In the video, Greene suggested that the Rothschilds were involved in starting wildfires in California with a space laser, a claim that obviously has no basis in fact. I haven’t used my space laser in years.
Greene has also been accused of promoting QAnon conspiracy theories, which often involve antisemitic tropes and themes. For example, QAnon adherents often allege that a cabal of powerful elites, including many Jewish people, is controlling world events for their own benefit. Hey, if you can’t trust QAnon for accurate news, who can you trust? In addition, Greene has faced criticism for sharing social media posts that promote white supremacist ideology and for making comments that appear to downplay the severity of the Holocaust.
What can we do about antisemitism? To start, we can promote education about the Jewish people's history, culture, and contributions, raise awareness about the dangers of antisemitism, debunk stereotypes, and promote empathy and respect. Governments should enact and enforce legislation that explicitly condemns antisemitism, strengthens hate crime laws and enforcement, and protects the rights of Jewish individuals.
We must engage the media by encouraging responsible and accurate reporting on antisemitism. And lastly, we need to deepen our own understanding and appreciation of what it means to be a Jew and strengthen our Jewish pride.
Former reality TV star and model Tila Tequila balances the humor and playfulness of her name with her history of promoting antisemitic and neo-Nazi views on social media. Apparently, subtlety is not one of her strong points.
She has posted pictures of herself in Nazi attire in front of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, made antisemitic comments, posted an article on her website titled "Why I Sympathize with Hitler: Part I", and expressed support for far-right figures. Tequila has claimed that the Jews control the media and that the Holocaust did not happen. And she tweeted, "There are only two things in this world, for which I would gladly sacrifice my own life; the destruction of all Jews and preservation of the white race.” Her behavior has led to widespread condemnation and her being banned from several social media platforms.
Antisemites in the U.S. Congress? You betcha. Rashida Tlaib, a Democratic congresswoman from Michigan, has been accused of promoting antisemitic views in her speeches and social media posts. She is one of the few members of Congress to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to pressure Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank. Critics of the movement argue that it is antisemitic because it seeks to isolate and delegitimize Israel.
Tlaib has received the most widespread criticism for her sharp words against the Israeli government, her calls to end U.S. aid to Israel, and her support of a "one-state solution." Tlaib calls Israel a "racist state" and an "apartheid" government. During a Palestine Advocacy Day, put on by American Muslims for Palestine, Tlaib stated, that progressives “cannot claim to hold progressive values yet back Israel’s apartheid government,” On August 15, 2019, Israel announced that Tlaib and her colleague Ilhan Omar would be denied entry into the country. And on a personal note, Tlaib has been dropped from my Chanukah card list.
