opinion
Benjamin Kerstein
T he question of what does and
does not constitute antisemitism is
seemingly perennial, and despite
attempts to codify a definition, it is a question
that shows no signs of going away.

The latest dust-up over the issue
involved the second-richest man in the
world. Last week, Twitter owner Elon
Musk found himself in hot water after
slamming his fellow controversial billionaire
George Soros.

On May 16, Musk tweeted, “Soros reminds
me of Magneto,” a reference to the primary
villain from the comic book X-Men and its
film adaptations.

As a left-wing philanthropist, Soros is often
Elon Musk
criticized, but Musk’s tweet set off alarm bells
because while Magneto is a super-powered
“mutant,” he is also a Jewish Holocaust survivor.

therefore be legitimate targets of criticism. Indeed, there
Tech entrepreneur Brian Krassenstein pointed this out are similar figures on the right, and those who leap to
to Musk, tweeting, “Fun fact: Magneto’s experiences Soros’s defense have no problem with attacking his
during the Holocaust as a survivor shaped his perspective counterparts on the other side of the aisle.

as well as his depth and empathy. Soro [sic], also a
There is also the issue of Soros’s personal and
Holocaust survivor, get’s [sic] attacked nonstop for his professional behavior, a great deal of which has been
good intentions.”
unbecoming. His financial machinations once forced
Musk replied, “You assume they are good intentions. Britain to devalue the pound. His influence over the U.S.

They are not. He wants to erode the very fabric of legal system through massive campaign funds for various
civilization. Soros hates humanity.”
judicial offices can be legitimately considered malign by
ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt promptly waded opponents. His general interference in the politics of
in, tweeting, “Soros often is held up by the far-right, various countries — including, perhaps especially, Israel
using antisemitic tropes, as the source of the — is seen by many as undermining civil society. This is all
world’s problems.”
legitimate cause for criticism.

Greenblatt asserted that Musk’s tweet was
For Jews, moreover, there is a certain irony to the
“dangerous” and would “embolden extremists charge of antisemitism, given that Soros’s philanthropy
who already contrive anti-Jewish conspiracies and has completely ignored Jewish issues and he has
have tried to attack Soros and Jewish communities expressed open hostility towards Israel. Indeed, he once
as a result.”
went so far as to blame Ariel Sharon, Israeli policies and
In response to the uproar, Musk doubled down, saying the “pro-Israel lobby” for the current rise in antisemitism.

his tweet was “really unfair to Magneto.” He advised the To blame Jews for antisemitism is thoroughly monstrous
ADL to “drop the ‘L.’ ”
and antisemitic in and of itself.

This fracas, while relatively minor, raised a more
Nonetheless, the issue is more complicated than
general issue because of the figure of Soros himself.

it appears, because it remains an inescapable fact
Soros and his Open Society Foundations are, that Soros is a Jew. As such, he is inherently different
unquestionably, among the most powerful forces on the from non-Jews of similar influence and stature. When
Western left. They fund a multitude of organizations and people point to him as an evil supervillain who “hates
movements dedicated to advancing progressive politics humanity” and wants to destroy civilization — all
and policies.

ancient slanders of the Jews — this has inevitable
As such, Soros and his philanthropy do affect many resonances that it does not in other cases, and there
aspects of political and social life in the West, and should is no sense in denying it.

12 MAY 25, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Indeed, while Musk did not do so, it is
not unusual to hear people on the far right
accuse Soros of more or less controlling
the world, a libel with obvious antisemitic
connotations. Greenblatt is right to point out
that this is, at the very least, dangerous.

This raises another question: Is all criticism
of Soros antisemitic?
The easy answer is to say: No, one can
criticize Soros but avoid antisemitism in
doing so. But this is not enough. While
criticism of Soros’s wealth, influence and
undeniable power may not be subjectively
antisemitic in all cases, it is difficult to see
how it is not objectively antisemitic in most
cases. One can love or hate Soros and
his work, but whether we like it or not,
attacks on him — even quite accurate
attacks — are bound to be seized upon
by antisemites, who will see such attacks
as confirmation of their fantasies of Jewish conspiracy
and omnipotence.

A similar phenomenon is at work regarding criticism
of Israel. It is all fine and good to say that of course you
can criticize Israel as you would any other nation, but
Israel is not like any other nation. It is a Jewish state, and
this comes with millennia-old civilizational baggage that
is inescapable. An attack on Israel cannot but have, on
some level, antisemitic connotations.

In a free society, these unpleasant realities present us
with an insoluble dilemma. We cannot simply shut down
all criticism of Soros. Criticism and the right to criticize
are essential to liberal democracy, and to censor and
cancel are inherent threats to the same. The slippery
slope is obvious and ominous. And yet, the unpleasant
realities remain.

The answer, it seems to me, is to adopt a certain
moral imperative: Work toward less antisemitism. That
is, engage in justified criticism, but always keep the
possible collateral damage in mind. Understand that
antisemitic resonances are, on some issues, inevitable
and seek to minimize them.

If we adopt this imperative, we must admit that Musk
conspicuously failed to honor it. He did not consider the
sinister echoes of his statement. When they were pointed
out to him, he did not take them seriously. Whatever
one thinks of George Soros, we should be willing to
acknowledge that this, at least, is unacceptable. ■
Benjamin Kerstein is a writer and editor living
in Tel Aviv.

Flckr / Bret Hartman / TED
Elon Musk and the Inevitability
of Antisemitism