Extremists Blame "Jewish Power" for Sotomayor Nomination
Deborah Lauter is Civil Rights Director of the Anti-Defamation League. All views expressed are her own.
In our work, every day we see white supremacists and extremists make anti-Semitic claims that Jews control the United States government, the banking system, and the media. From the financial crisis to the election of Barack Obama, extremists have turned to age-old anti-Jewish canards to assert that Jews manipulate current events for their own benefit. The most recent claim from extremists is that "Jewish power" is responsible not only for Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court but her previous career success, as well.
Some extremists also use anti-Semitic stereotypes to argue that Sotomayor is herself Jewish, or, as one person suggested, a "cryptojew." They have capitalized on the Sotomayor nomination to characterize Jews as conspirators seeking world domination, having secretly orchestrated the appointment. Extremists also attempt to reinforce the common claim that Jews are seeking to destroy the white race, and they cited Sotomayor's Latino heritage as just another step in that process. White supremacists and anti-Semites have flooded Internet sites with these and other conspiracy theories about Jewish control of the government and media, showing once again how the Internet can be a powerful platform for virulent anti-Semitism.
In a time when we have seen a wave of planned or carried out acts of violence targeting the Jewish community and other minorities, it is important to realize that words and ideas have real-world consequences. White supremacists and anti-Semites are angry about the changes in our increasingly diverse country. Our job is to counter their message of hate by exposing these bigots and educating the public about their hateful views.
For more information on extremism and anti-Semitism, please visit http://www.adl.org/.