The Virus of Hate: Delegitimization and Antisemitism Converge Around the Coronavirus

In September 2019, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs published a report, “Behind the Mask,” which demonstrated the connection between antisemitism and the Boycott Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and its delegitimacy campaign against the State of Israel. The report included over 80 examples of leading BDS activists disseminating antisemitic content, consistent with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

Following the report, and in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the Ministry has been monitoring antisemitism and efforts to delegitimize Israel with the linking of the State of Israel and Jews to the coronavirus. The Ministry and other organizations focused on combatting hate speech found multiple cases of BDS-supporting organizations and senior government and quasi-governmental officials propagating antisemitic conspiracies and libels.

The increased antisemitic rhetoric around the coronavirus has also been accompanied by threats of violence against Jews and Israelis. In the US, the FBI warned that right wing extremists may try to infect Jews with the coronavirus; in Gaza, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar warned that if Gaza were to lack ventilators, “six million Israelis will not breathe.” Such threats may materialize into acts of violence, especially as stay home orders are lifted and right wing extremists then may vent their anger at Jews and Jewish institutions. As such, it is time to take action to counteract potential violence – through increased information gathering, law enforcement readiness, and augmented security, both physical and technological.

The seriousness of the situation was reflected in an April 17 statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed, who warned that “Antisemitic hate speech has risen alarmingly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis” and called for “tougher measures” to counter this worrying development.

US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Elan Carr noted that just as “new antisemitism” against Zionism and the State of Israel is an adaptation of classic antisemitism to the new reality of a Jewish polity, the current wave of corona-related antisemitism is similarly predictable. “Antisemitism, in order to remain relevant, always adapts to current events.” He noted that his office is putting together a plan to counteract the rise in antisemitism in the US, which includes enhancing security for Jewish communities; promoting the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism; countering antisemitism online; and positive education initiatives on the US Jewish contribution to society.

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