Kanye West, one of the world’s most popular entertainers, is also one of its most unstable.
He also appears to be harboring an antisemitic streak. In a series of social media posts over the last few days that resulted in both his Instagram and Twitter accounts being suspended, the singer, who has adopted the name Ye, lashed out at Jews using classic antisemitic tropes.
“You [Jewish people] have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
Kanye West
Kanye West goes "Death Con 3" on Jews
Firstly, late last week he suggested on Instagram that Sean Combs, the rapper known as Diddy, was being controlled by Jewish people. Then two days later he tweeted that he would soon go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” an apparent reference to the United States’ defense readiness condition, known as DEFCON.
Referring to Jews, he wrote,“You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda,” in a tweet that was later removed.
In a separate tweet, West accused Mark Zuckerberg, the Jewish chief executive of Meta, which owns Instagram, of removing him from Instagram.
Antisemitism in entertainment
Antisemitism is nothing new in the heavily black American hip hop culture, but has largely been brushed under the proverbial rug within the symbiotic relationship between blacks and Jews in the US entertainment industry.
An organization founded last year to fight that status quo, the Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance, released a statement condemning West’s ignorant utterances.
“Ye’s recent statements about the Jewish community are hurtful, offensive and wrong. They perpetuate stereotypes that have been the basis for discrimination and violence against Jews for thousands of years. Words like this tear at the fabric of the black-Jewish relationship,” the statement said.
West’s posts were also condemned by others in the entertainment industry, mainly Jews.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted: “The holiest day in Judaism was last week. Words matter. A threat to Jewish people ended once in genocide. Your words hurt and incite violence. You are a father. Please stop.”
The next day, appearing on The Today Show in the US, Curtis said, “I woke up and burst into tears. Death con 3 on Jewish people? What are you doing? It’s bad enough that fascism is on the rise around the world but on Twitter? On a portal to pour that in as if Jewish people haven’t had it hard enough?”
Jewish actress and comedian Sarah Silverman sharpened the criticism and got closer to the crux of the problem in a statement on Twitter.
“Kanye threatened the Jews yesterday on Twitter and it’s not even trending. Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud,” she said.
“Ye’s recent statements about the Jewish community are hurtful, offensive and wrong. They perpetuate stereotypes that have been the basis for discrimination and violence against Jews for thousands of years."
Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance
Letting West off the hook
West’s posts can be written off as another manifestation of his erratic behavior. But that would be dangerous.
Last year, antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the US in 2021. According to a report issued by the Anti-Defamation League, there were 2,717 incidents 2021, representing an increase of 34% over 2020 and the highest on record since the New York-based Jewish civil rights group started tracking such cases in 1979.
The incidents included the violent beatings of Jews in the streets of New York City and Los Angeles, home to the two largest Jewish communities in the US. “Jews were being attacked in the streets for no other reason than the fact that they were Jewish, and it seemed as if the working assumption was that if you were Jewish, you were blameworthy for what was happening half a world away,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO, said in a statement.
Letting Kanye West off the hook by calling his posts misguided or a misunderstanding is paving the way for more antisemitism to rear its ugly head. He needs to be called out and condemned, and not just by well-meaning Jews.
“Kanye threatened the Jews yesterday on Twitter and it’s not even trending. Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud.”
Sarah Silverman
As the Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles wrote after inviting West to visit, “Words matter and words have consequences Ye. The Holocaust started with only words that sadly begat stereotypes, racial and religious tropes and blaming others and led to the murder of six million Jews.”
West’s words must not be allowed to pass quietly. Simply ignoring them is not an option. As Curtis said: “If we aren’t reacting, who are we? What does it say about people who aren’t reacting?”