Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host and current podcaster who regularly shares antisemitic conspiracy theories, is drawing another round of criticism and ridicule for his latest show, which runs more than an hour and 35 minutes, and is a war update titled “Israel’s true motives, potential false flags and oncoming global crisis.”
Some 25 minutes into the show, Carlson blames the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement that he says has “super-nice people engaged in all kinds of charitable activities,” including “drug rehab.”
“Chabad has been pushing in a pretty subtle way, unless you look carefully, for the reconstruction of the third Temple,” he said. “It’s not just Chassidic groups from Brooklyn, and it’s not just IDF soldiers. There are amazingly a lot of American evangelical leaders, Christian Zionists whose main point is rebuilding the third Temple.”
“How could an American Christian, or any Christian, call for the building of a temple, whose presence, whose inherent presence denies Christ, who said clearly, and Christians believe this—it’s a core point of faith, ‘I am the temple,’” he added.
At issue, apparently, in the monologue was some patches that Carlson said Israeli soldiers wear with an image of the Jewish Temple. (It wasn’t clear how Carlson thought that anyone wanted to rebuild a structure that wasn’t yet built.)
In the description of the episode, Carlson wrote, “Could this be a religious war designed to rebuild the third Temple on the ashes of Al Aqsa? Hope not.”
Yaacov Behrman, a Chabad spokesman, stated that Carlson’s “claim about Chabad and the Temple Mount is a slanderous lie.”
“His implication that Chabad is behind the war in Iran is a dangerous blood libel,” Behrman said. “Chabad’s focus is on encouraging mitzvos, good deeds, to bring more goodness into the world and hasten the coming of the messiah, while living responsibly in the present. The messianic vision is one of peace and harmony for all.”
Behrman also said the patches in question “did not come from Chabad.”
“Had he done even basic research, that would be clear. It would also show that many who wear the temple patches see them as symbols of faith and hope for peace, and a yearning for the day when there will be no more war,” he said. “Reckless rhetoric like this is dangerous and irresponsible. He should correct the record and apologize immediately.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition shared a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump visiting the grave site of the former Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
“Tucker Carlson’s opprobrious comments against Chabad are disgusting,” the RJC said. “President Trump and his administration reject this nonsense.”
“Chabad? Really?” wrote the prominent, Nashville-based Catholic commentator Emily Zanotti. “Where do we go from here? Are the Jews putting mind-control drugs in your bagels, Tucker?”
