The Israel-Hamas war has been raging for nearly a year. The war has had a profound impact on politics in the Middle East, and also, in a more subtle way, on domestic politics in America. I have been watching, in particular, a phenomenon that has caused a disturbance on both sides of the political aisle: open antisemitism.
This antisemitism was first visible on the political Left, with an eruption of protests, even violence, on Ivy League campuses. But soon enough, there was an emergence on the political Right, with prominent voices, such as Kanye West and Candace Owens, spinning conspiracy theories about the “Jewish cabal.”
This is a complex story about the academy and the internet, the elite and the fringes. It is a story we must confront directly, as it reveals something rotten in our politics—which can only be changed through the restoration of higher principles that had once kept these ideologies in check.
The following is a rush transcript of the episode. Please let me know what you think in the comments:
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Christopher F. Rufo to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.