Ye, also known as Kanye West, is a well-known American musician and fashion designer. His recent antisemitic tweets have sparked outrage among fans and other celebrities. Kanye said in a Fox News interview with Tucker Carlson that the Jewish senior advisor to former President Donald J. Trump, Jared Kushner, influenced choices over Israeli deals for his own financial advantage. Many have said that the rapper’s comments validate the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jewish people are financially greedy. The following day, Kanye confronted rapper Sean Combs, better known by his stage name Diddy, implying that he is under the control of the Jewish people, as evidenced by a text message thread that Kanye uploaded.
The American Jewish Committee, a group that works to prevent anti-Semitism, reacted to the original tweet with a statement that highlights the dangers in Kanye’s statements due to his significant social media following. In response to the text thread post, Instagram chose to limit Kanye’s account and also acknowledged that other posts of his had violated their policies. The initial limitation prompted Kanye to post a photo of himself and Instagram founder Mark Zuckerberg asking why he was banned from the platform. He kept tweeting, threatening to execute “death con 3 on Jewish people.” All of Kanye’s postings have since been deleted from both sites.
The phrase “death con 3” used by Kanye alludes to the five-level DEFCON, or Defense Condition, a system used by the U.S. military. Increased preparedness and U.S. military engagement through the air force department constitute Level 3, as described by Kanye. Consequently, his tweet implies that he wants to attack Jewish people. The post continues, “You guys have toyed wih me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” The Holocaust and the ideologies of Adolf Hitler, the political leader of the Nazi Party, are continually reinforced by Kanye’s antisemitic remarks.
Jamie Lee Curtis, an American actress and screenwriter, expressed her thoughts and concern regarding Kanye’s latest comments on Monday during an interview on the Today show. On the program, Curtis states, “I woke up and I burst into tears. 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?” Hoda Kotb, the interviewer, answered by saying that she has never seen Curtis cry. Then Curtis commented that it reminded her of her Jewish ancestors and asked why no one was reacting.
The American comedian and actress Sara Silverman also made a statement by tweeting, “Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud.” Throughout the history of the Jewish people, there have been various genocides and pursuits to terminate the Jewish nation. After World War II and the devastating loss caused by the Holocaust, it is clear how words, the dissemination of stereotypes and propaganda have an influence. Historically, individuals in a position to assist Jewish people have kept silent when they were most in need. Kanye is promoting and igniting anti-Semitic tropes through his acts and posts. Take Curtis’ direction in situations like this and speak up.
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