For thousands of years, the Jewish population has suffered discrimination through every medium; socially, politically, legally, economically. From Egypt, to Rome, then Europe, and now America. According to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group dedicated to curbing antisemitism, 2022 posited a record breaking high of 3,697 cases of documented anti-semitic acts, a 35% increase from the year before. This includes cases of assault, vandalism, and harassment. Distinctly, anit-semitism remains a nearly ubiquitous factor in many extreme conspiracies. From QAnon and George Sorros to the Rothschilds and the “Jewish space lazer,” antisemitism is everywhere.
As to why antisemitism is such a staple among conspiracy theories, it’s important to remember that this is a deep rooted issue. Again, Jewish people have been facing discrimination since the pharaohs of Egypt—anti-semitism has been ingrained into cultural psyches across the globe. America inherited a Jewish-centered animosity from Europe; a through line can be traced as far back as the Middle Ages, in Christian dominated Europe. At the time, lending money at high interest rates was considered sinful, but developing Chrisitian communities needed funding for churches, armies, and infrastructure. Thus, the Chritisans of the Middle Ages turned to Jewish communities, so that they might bankroll their expansion (Time). Of course, Jewish communities couldn’t just give away money, so they demanded interest on their lendings, thus sparking a new wave of widespread Jewish discrimination in Europe. Shockingly, this Middle Ages banking controversy draws parallels to modern day conspiracies regarding the Jewish community supposedly controlling the banks and big business. All in all, on a base level America inherited the grassroots of modern day antisemitism from a variety of European cultures.
Since 2016, America has experienced a resurgence of overt anti-semitism. Mike Rothschild, author of Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories, claims that the Trump era opened the gates to open antisemitism—“America has always been antisemitic. What Trump did was give us permission to say this stuff, give us permission to really expound on these cockamamie theories.”
Seemingly, the coalescence of political extremism and mainstream media has opened the door to antisemitism, masking ignorant hate with a veneer of credibility. As the political climate continues escalating, the line between downright, psych ward crazy and semi-believable continues to deteriorate. Moreover, the recent Israel-Hamas War has offered a springboard for domestic Jewish hate. In times of crisis or turmoil, people always look for someone to blame, and the Jewish community is a long-standing target for such fault.
Inherently, the dopey veracity antisemitism inspires actively pervades violence towards innocent people, furthering a legacy of discrimination. Moreover, anti-semitism blinds individuals to reality. By arbitrarily ascribing negative characteristics like greed or megalomania to binary groups, we deny the universal nature of these qualities. There is no secret illuminati controlling the world, but there are incredibly powerful organizations seeking greater influence and profit, and they’re not bound to one racial, ethnic, or religious group. Avarice is transcendent of race, religion, nationality, and any other superficial category, and the ignorance of acting as though it does enables malevolent, profit seeking organizations to continue operating in their own interests. In the end, anti-semitism plagues our world, spearheaded by radical conspiracy theories, dehumanizing a group of people no different than any other.