The false tsarist text The Protocols of the Elders of Zion theorized that Jews controlled world affairs. Today, the Epstein affair offers antisemites around the world an opportunity to revive this myth of an international Jewish conspiracy.
Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, and those of some of his associates, do not belong to the realm of conspiracy or fantasy: They are real and of extreme gravity. But the way they are being exploited today fits into a growing conspiratorial and antisemitic drift.
Conspiracy theories in the media
In this complex and sprawling case, a particular interpretation has emerged in certain circles, pushed, for instance, by antisemitic conspiracy theorist Candice Owens: the claim that Epstein was affiliated with the Mossad and possessed compromising material on all the world’s powerful figures, allowing Israel to blackmail them and thereby control the entire world.
This narrative resonates all the more as the Epstein affair involves the trafficking of young girls, international finance, and elites – recurring tropes in the history of antisemitic stereotypes.
Far-right polemicist Tucker Carlson, close to US President Donald Trump, hosted on his show a far-left influencer with a large following, Cenk Uygur. At first glance, the two men have little in common. Yet they converged on the idea that Israel was directly linked not only to the Epstein affair but also to the September 11 attacks and the assassination of president John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Journalistic work that patiently cross-checks facts – even if it means dismantling certain theories – is now viewed as collusion and an attempt to bury the case and protect those involved. It must be acknowledged, moreover, that the scandalously lenient 2008 sentence given to Epstein at least partially justifies this mistrust.
The absence of these theories in the mainstream media further strengthens their power on social media, where the “unfiltered truth,” allegedly not “subject to the Zionist lobby,” is said to be revealed. It is to be feared that even after full disclosure of the case files, the machinery of fantasy will continue to claim that such revelations are merely “the tip of the iceberg.”
Contributing to antisemitism
As 50% of Americans, including 77% of Democrats, say Israel has committed genocide in Gaza (together with 40% of American Jews), antisemitism is being fueled by parts of the far Left and by Islamists over the Gaza conflict, as well as by a nationalist far Right that is regaining strength in the United States, leading to the generalization of antisemitism among young Republicans. In this context, the Epstein affair adds a particularly dangerous dimension for Jews around the world.
A complex and far-reaching case in an age of constant distraction, the Epstein affair demands simple, definitive answers, complete with culprits or even scapegoats. Jewish history shows that such configurations have rarely worked in the Jews’ favor – especially in an unstable and anxious world.
Born and raised in France, the writer is the correspondent of French Jewish radio, Radio J, in the US, where he has been living for 16 years. He also holds US and Israeli citizenships. His opinions are his only.