SHOCK IN L.A.: Celebrities Learn What the ACLJ Has Known For Years
After Kanye West’s latest disgusting, antisemitic display, it appears that Hollywood and celebrities around the world have finally discovered what we at the ACLJ have known about and fought against for decades – in fact, for some of us, our whole lives.
Last week Kanye West, a controversial entertainer who briefly ran for President in 2020, appeared on a podcast where he spewed poisonous, antisemitic rhetoric. Of course Kanye essentially fell back on the old trope that Jewish people run the entertainment business, and claimed they were intentionally affecting his career. Then West weirdly bragged that he can say racist things and not even a billion-dollar athleticwear company can break their deal with him, literally stating: “I can say antisemitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”
And then this past weekend, a group of neo-Nazis hung banners over a Los Angeles freeway that read “Kanye Is Right About the Jews” while members of the group gave Nazi salutes.
We’ve been speaking out against antisemitism around the world, and even at American universities and in the halls of our own government. And finally, the celebrities seem to have received their long overdue wake-up call to fight antisemitism and support their Jewish friends and family members.
And I’m happy about this. But I just can’t quite swallow the catalyst for this sudden awareness. Especially after years of so many people jumping up to fight so many other incidents of racism and hate crimes, but seemingly ignorant to thousands of antisemitic attacks in the United States every year. You should be upset about what Kanye, an influential musician, said on a podcast, and then neo-Nazis hanging banners over a highway saying Kanye was right. But should be only one of the many incidents that have been happening. You should have been mad about those too. Not just now when it’s fashionable, for lack of a better term. That’s hypocritical.
But I suppose it takes whatever it takes, right? If this sudden outrage actually carries over into action, and we see a proactive movement to fight antisemitism in our country and around the world, then I applaud it with gratitude. But you’ll forgive me if I’m hesitant to do so.
Antisemitism has been normalized in America. As a Jewish man myself, I will tell you that it feels like antisemitism has been almost made cool in America. They just use different words for it. You swap Jewish for Zionist and all of a sudden, poof, it’s totally palatable – spoonful of sugar to make the poison go down. We have seen university campuses where the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has pushed students to boycott Israel. And it’s tolerated. Jewish students have been locked out of campus events, and had their safety threatened. Jewish faculty members have been fired. And not in the 1930’s or even 50’s folks – I mean recently.
Members of Congress – including “Squad” members Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib – have been stoking the flames of antisemitism for years, making it seem okay to their constituents. We’ve demanded they be censured, but Speaker of the House Pelosi seems to fear them more than she feared President Trump.
The white supremacists who hung those banners should be investigated. But it’s time to reconsider Kanye West. His words inspired these neo-Nazis to feel comfortable to proclaim their hatred in public.
Today’s full Sekulow broadcast includes more in-depth analysis of this latest offensive Kanye outburst, and the antisemitic actions it has inspired. We’re also joined by ACLJ Senior Advisor Ric Grenell.
Watch the full broadcast below: