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Lessons From Kanye West’s Anti-Semitic Rants

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Jews, Israelis and Olim Chadashim were apalled by Kanye West’s anti-semitic rants.

At first sight, Kanye West’s hateful speeches against Jews should be no surprise. After all, we Jews have been living with this type of rethoric for thousands of years so what is one more hater going to add to the balance?

Let’s try to understand what this means for Jews who are thinking about moving to Israel.

On Twitter, Kanye West wrote the following:

I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” the rapper wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.

For those who are unfamiliar, death con (misspelling of “DEFCON”) is a slang term for “raising awareness against”, meaning a call for suspicion (or “for arms”) against the entire Jewish People he so eloquently wrote in capital letters. The call is not only an incitement against Jews in general but also adds that there’s an “agenda” (or a “plot”) behind their actions closing that since he’s “merely telling the truth” (in his own warped mind), he cannot be accused of anti-Semitism.

This is indeed beyond absurd and no words can convey the amount of hatred he’s displaying.

But this is not simply a dumb message by some lunatic. The truth is there’s a lot more to uncover from his nasty remarks.

This we can tell from years of persecution which started as a one-off tirade.

Anti-Semitism in America

With his ranting barrage, Kanye West lost many of his business deals, the most significant one being one with Adidas. The company proudly sent a letter to him that, despite losing a massive EUR 250 Million in sales, it will terminate the deal with Kanye’s brand “Ye” for branded products. But, despite its repercussions, Kanye has yet to face legal charges for defamation and incitement.

The very fact that someone can so freely spout anti-Semitic verbiage and let go scot-free is a sign that the times are changing for Jews in America and Europe. Kanye, for starters, gave a non-apology, implying that because blacks have suffered more throughout history, nothing he says could come close to that (as if he himself suffered persecution, but that’s another issue).

The problem highlights however a shift in the minds of North Americans.

Up until 2020, anti-Semitism was treated as an inadmissible offense both by the general public, as well as law enforcement. Recently it has become increasingly tolerated, up to the point that now it’s become something very much acceptable and even “chic”.

In recent years, the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and many institutions have noticed a sharp rise in anti-Semitism rhetoric and attacks against Jews. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the situation for Jews in America has degenerated dramatically.

Things are simply not what they used to be.

Suitcase with Israeli flag design travel Asia concept.

The problem is already obvious for those with open eyes. The solution, however, is not so much. Most people think that these issues will go away, but throughout history, that has seldom been the case. Whenever Jews faced anti-Semitism, the solution has always been to leave and move to Israel, not to fight head-on or “raise awareness”, because we see that Kanye’s remarks point to a shift in the mindset of the American people in general.

Therefore, the issue is not so much with Kanye per se, but with what it represents. Will America continue being the beacon of refuge for Jews in the Diaspora or is it already time for them to pack their bags and start living in Israel?

We from Olim Paveway think the answer already is clear and extend our hands towards our brothers and sisters to make Aliyah as soon as possible. As you probably know, our Aliyah expertise enables us to help Olim Chadashim settle in Israel as easily as possible, by providing Liaison Officers and a network of exclusive service providers to take care of their needs.

The signs are already clear enough: It’s time to make Aliyah! Don’t wait for things to deteriorate and fulfill the Jewish mission of coming to Israel! Reach us for more information at [email protected] , and see how we can help you and your family come to the Holy Land!

Chaim Apsan
Chaim Apsan

Chaim is the Interactive Media Coordinator of Olim Paveway. Having made Aliyah 8 years ago, he now works writing articles and taking care of the technical aspects of the website.

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