As anti-Semitism has fomented during the coronavirus pandemic, hatred towards Jews as it pertains to the outbreak won’t go away once it ends, warned U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism Elan Carr.
“We’ve seen a tsunami of anti-Semitic hatred on the Internet and social media that baselessly blames Jews for … having invented the coronavirus, for intentionally spreading from it, profiting from it or using it as a tool for global control,” said Carr on Monday at the virtual summit hosted by Christians United for Israel (CUFI) in lieu of the organization’s annual summit in Washington, D.C.
“The only thing new or novel about this absurd allegation is the coronavirus itself,” continued Carr. “Blaming Jews for the world’s maladies has been a standard feature of anti-Semitism for centuries.”
Carr also cautioned that even when the pandemic subsides, anti-Semitism related to it won’t disappear.
“When COVID-19 is behind us—G-d willing, may that be soon—we will be forced to confront the anti-Semitism that feeds off of the economic downturn resulting from this global shutdown,” he said. “Throughout history, periods of economic pain have almost always seen Jew-hatred increase and not just in words, but in violent acts.”
