A Troubling Trend

I almost addressed this in my last podcast last night, but I will talk about it now. In US politics for the longest time you could depend on the conservative right to support Israel. In light of the rising tide of antisemitism it appears that support is wavering as we’re told in an article from the World Israel News:

Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, warned this week that a surge of extremist rhetoric from the American right has become a growing source of concern for Jewish communities, surpassing the traditional threat from the far left.

Israel is seeing what is happening and they want the US to see it as well:

Speaking to The New York Post, Chikli urged U.S. leaders to take the trend seriously before it escalates further.

Chikli says that antisemitism from the right wasn’t an issue when he first for his position:

“When I began this position three years ago, antisemitism from the right appeared marginal — small neo-Nazi circles, nothing more,” Chikli said.

Not so today:

“Now it’s a different reality. I’m more alarmed by antisemitism on the right than the left — and I say that as a conservative.”

He thinks that social media influencers are to blame:

Chikli attributed the rise to online figures who mix conspiracy theories with populist messaging and receive amplification through social media.

Chikli singles out at least one influencer for aiding and abetting the rise:

He cited conservative influencers associated with Tucker Carlson, whom he accused of giving Holocaust deniers and extremists mainstream exposure.

Although free speech isn’t an issue, how it’s used is:

“When a broadcaster calls a Holocaust denier ‘one of the most honest historians,’ that’s not free speech — that’s legitimizing hate,” he said.

Influencing Young People

Chikli sees those who are getting their information from social media as being mislead now:

The minister said antisemitic content is now spreading rapidly among younger Americans, often through podcasts and online platforms rather than traditional education.

“For Generation Z, antisemitism has become trendy,” Chikli said. “Figures like Nick Fuentes and Darryl Cooper are treated as thinkers. These are neo-Nazis.”

Another concern is those who hate Israel taking advantage of these influencers and even funding the Jewish hatred:

He also questioned whether coordinated foreign efforts might be driving the surge in anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives across social media.

“We see identical messages appearing on hundreds of accounts simultaneously. It’s not spontaneous,” he said. “Someone is funding this, and that’s something for the FBI to investigate.”

He notes that it’s one thing to not want America to be involved in foreign wars, but another to actually lobby for the hate against Israel:

Chikli cautioned that parts of the American isolationist movement have been “hijacked” by white supremacists and antisemites who disguise hate as foreign policy.

He says that there can be dialogue with isolationists, but not antisemites:

“We can cooperate with isolationists,” he said. “We can’t cooperate with neo-Nazis. When someone posts about Israel day and night, that’s not criticism — that’s obsession.”

Chikli warned that Islamic influence are making headway in traditional Western thought life”

The minister also warned that Islamist networks supported by Qatar and Turkey are influencing Western media, academia, and even politics.

As for me, I’m certainly all for free speech. As long as it isn’t calling for the annihilation of a whole nation and their people have the debates openly. But this isn’t what’s happening. As the famous quote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" by philosopher George Santayana reminds us, we’ve seen this happen before. The disappointing part is that the usually strong wall of support from the conservative right is eroding right before our eyes. And I also add that this antisemitism is now growing in the ranks of Christians who have a Bible full of support for God’s chosen people. While this Jew hatred is predicted in Bible prophecy we aren’t told to just let it happen on our watch. At least not on my watch, anyway.