The antisemitism that afflicts many of Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters has received a lot of deserved attention over the past week or so.
But Jew-hatred of a different kind is also rearing its ugly head on this side of the ocean among some supporters of likely Republican nominee for president Donald Trump.
Julia Ioffe, a Russian-born Jewish journalist, wrote an article for GQ about Trump’s wife Melania. Melania Trump objected to the article on Facebook. Then the ugliness began.
Now I'm getting phone calls from a blocked number that play Hitler's speeches when I pick up. Sad!
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016
From my inbox. Subject line: "They know about you!" pic.twitter.com/zp3v2GjTeI
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016
.@GideonResnick @OKnox Oh, I thought this one reminding me to swallow my diamonds was from you! pic.twitter.com/Ri6tZsyHXx
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016
Ioffe noted:
For those among you who appreciate irony: my family arrived in the US (legally) 26 years ago today. We were fleeing anti-Semitism.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016
Noah Rothman, an editor at the neoconservative magazine Commentary and an opponent of Trump, has also received his share of antisemitic abuse.
Admittedly @juliaioffe got it pretty bad, but we’ve been getting violent anti-Semitic threats for months. We’re on actual lists.
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) April 29, 2016
I mean, it got to a point where I just stopped putting the anti-Semitism out there because it was so frequent I figured it was boring people
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) April 29, 2016
This is pretty ugly too. And I fear things are going to get a lot uglier.
While Corbyn’s antisemitic supporters tend to be of the leftwing “anti-Zionist” variety, Trump’s lean more to a white nationalist, neo-Nazi worldview. They often despise Jews and Muslims equally.
And yes. I know that Trump’s daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism and that Trump claims to be a strong supporter of Israel. But when asked about his racist and antisemitic supporters, his response is usually perfunctory. He “disavows” the support of people like David Duke, but it never seems to bother him that he is receiving so much support from people like Duke.
News flash: If you call Mexicans who enter the US rapists and drug dealers and if you call for a ban on all Muslims entering the US, you’re going to attract some pretty unsavory people to your side. And not all of them will be limiting their hatred to Mexicans and Muslims.
Update: Republican unity watch.
Assuming Trump wins the Republican nomination, he may leave the GOP in smoking ruins.
Further update: As much as some Trump supporters hate Jews, many of them hate Muslims even more. And while Trump has done very little to encourage hatred of Jews, he has done plenty to stoke hatred of Muslims.
Additional update: It’s over. After losing badly in the Indiana primary, Cruz has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination. It’s going to be Clinton vs. Trump in November.
Mazal Tov, Republicans. He’s all yours.
