“It Did Not Come Out of Nowhere”: NYT Interviews Experts on Anti-Semitism Following Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre
On Saturday,
eleven people were killed in a Pittsburgh synagogue after a gunman who “wanted all Jews to die” opened fire just after the morning service started. This massacre is believed to be the
deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In
The New York Times, Saturday’s attack is put into context by experts on anti-Semitism, who say that this event “did not come out of nowhere.” In the wake of white supremacists marching in
Charlottesville and increasing anti-Semitic
graffiti and
vandalism, many synagogues have amped up security measures. The Anti-Defamation League logged a 57 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. in 2017, compared to the previous year. One possible reason behind the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, according to several experts interviewed by the The New York Times, is the fact that conspiracy theories are being circulated by establishment sources like the president and members of Congress. According to The Times, one prominent unfounded conspiracy theory that appears to resonate with anti-Semites and white supremacists is about George Soros, a Jewish billionaire and donor to the Democratic Party. President Trump has mentioned Soros a few times on Twitter, where he accused the Democratic donor of
paying protestors. Per
PRRI’s 2018 American Values Survey, a majority of Americans (54 percent) believe that President Trump’s decisions and behavior as president have encouraged white supremacist groups.