As much as we might like to imagine hatred disappearing, bigotry including antisemitism are far from gone.
Rapper Ye confirmed for the public antisemitic conspiracy theories are still alive and unwell when he made antisemitic comments during an interview with Alex Jones on InfoWars. In addition to his comments, he also tweeted an image of a swastika inside the Star of David.
Ye has since been banned from Twitter indefinitely, as his posting was considered an "incitement of violence" by new Twitter owner Elon Musk.
In response, actress Natalie Portman posted on her Instagram account on Sunday, citing the incident with Ye as well as several other incidents she's witnessed recently that she believes are a sign of a re-emergence of antisemitism.
The post with a simple black background read:
"Seeing the re-emergence of antisemitism makes my heart drop."
"This hatred must be combatted with boundless love for each other. Today, I send extra love to my fellow Jews. And I send love to all those standing with us against these violent words and actions."
"It's been painful and frightening to listen to, and I'm extremely grateful to those who continue to speak up against antisemitism with us, and against all forms of racism."
You can view the original post here:
Fellow actors commented on the actress' heartfelt post.
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@natalieportman/Instagram
@natalieportman/Instagram
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Fans of Portman also commented on social media.
In addition to creating this post, Portman also shared multiple posts in her Instagram stories, which have since expired.
One post was coverage of the Ye incident, followed by tweeted responses from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden tweeted:
"I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure."
"And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity."
Harris tweeted:
"Praising Hitler and denying the Holocaust is vile, appalling, and must be condemned. Our Administration will continue to stand up against antisemitism and the epidemic of hate."
Finally, Portman shared a clip of a New York Times essay 8which was titled:
"Hate Speech's Rise on Twitter is Unprecedented, Researchers Find."
The essay claimed there was a 61% increase of antisemitic posts on the platform since it had been purchased by Elon Musk, which he denied as a correlation.
Correlated or not, Portman was appalled.
She posted:
"These numbers are horrifying."
"This is not freedom."
Portman was not alone.
Actor Seth Rogan stated antisemitism is nothing new and he does not see it disappearing anytime soon. Actress Amy Schumer declared pride in her Jewish heritage—which can be traced to Auschwitz—and was prepared to stand up against antisemitism and any other racist remarks.
Bigotry like antisemitism is not gone.
But it's important to note there are people who are prepared to fight against it.
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