Key Points
- Antisemitic conspiracy theories often intensify during global crises, including pandemics and wars.
- History shows that Jewish communities have been scapegoated during disasters, including the Black Death and COVID crisis.
- Holocaust denial and October 7 denial are dangerous forms of antisemitism that distort truth and excuse evil.
- False moral comparisons can blur the difference between tragic civilian death and intentional murder or hostage-taking.
- Christians must reject silence, recognize antisemitism in all its forms, and speak against hatred while they can.
In my previous article, we traced the alarming rise of mainstream antisemitism in America, culminating in the volatile environment on college campuses post-October 7. Yet, as dangerous as campus radicalism and online echoes are, they are only part of the story. To fully comprehend this crisis, we must look at the shifting cultural values and recurring historical patterns—specifically, the weaponization of conspiracy theories during times of global crisis.
How Do Conspiracy Theories Fuel Antisemitism During Crises?
Pandemics are dangerous times for Jewish communities due to the conspiracy theories they spawn. One of the greatest catastrophes to afflict humanity was the fourteenth-century bubonic plague—known as the “Black Death”—that swept through Europe. Historians estimate that up to 50 percent of Europe’s population died in the pandemic, with death rates as high as 75 percent in Italy, Spain, and France.
Church and state had already demonized the Jewish minority, so they were an easy scapegoat. They also fared better than the general population, possibly due to their dietary and religious practices or the fact that many were confined in walled ghettos. Their lower death rates, however, fueled suspicions that they were behind the pandemic, and many Jews who survived the
plague were then massacred in pogroms.
During the COVID crisis of 2020, antisemites spread lies that Jews developed the virus to kill many people and gain power. They were also accused of using it to make money selling the antidote. The fact that the Orthodox Jewish community in New York had higher rates of infection than the general population was used as proof. The lies were propagated on all social media platforms.
We should not dismiss conspiracy theories as mere craziness. Conspiracy theories produce anger, and anger quickly moves from words to actions; verbal insults often result in physical attacks.
Why Is Holocaust Denial a Form of Antisemitism?
Holocaust denial is any attempt to diminish or deny the established facts of the Nazi genocide of European Jews. This is a form of antisemitism because it perpetuates the antisemitic trope that Jews are dishonest and manipulative and accuses them of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust as a plot to advance “Jewish interests.”
Some common Holocaust denials include reducing the number of Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust; denying the existence of Nazi facilities that used gas chambers to systematically murder Jews; and denying the widespread killing of Jews in all the camps—not just in ones equipped with a means of mass extermination.
Many Americans have fathers or grandfathers who fought in World War II and may have personally witnessed the carnage the Nazis left behind in the camps. Holocaust denial is not only an affront to the Jewish people but to all those who fought to bring down the evil Nazi regime.
Why Is October 7 Denial So Dangerous?
Within days after the atrocities that occurred on October 7, 2023, when Hamas massacred more than 1,200 innocent people, committed unspeakable acts of brutality and sexual assault, and took more than 250 people into Gaza, information began circulating that the attack or parts of it were exaggerated or untrue. Some people even said the Israeli Defense Forces staged the entire thing to justify their invasion of Gaza. Many denied that the brutal sexual violence perpetrated on innocents happened, despite eyewitness testimony from those who attended the Nova festival and experienced, saw, and heard women being raped. Disturbingly, human rights and women’s rights organizations were silent. The spread of these lies and outright denials occurred despite the extensive documentation by Hamas militants of their actions and their full acceptance of responsibility for the attacks.
Why False Moral Comparisons Distort Truth
After months of negotiations, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that began the process of releasing a handful of hostages at a time—some brutally murdered, including two babies and their mother—in return for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, most with blood on their hands. The unequal exchange of a few Israelis for a disproportionate number of enemy soldiers and murderers was nothing new—in 2011, under immense pressure, Israel exchanged one Israeli hostage for 1,029 terrorists. Among them was Yahya Sinwar, the architect of October 7. Palestinians claim that the way they treated men, women, and children in their captivity is equal to Israel’s treatment of their prisoners. Yet in no way can non-targeted babies and their mothers, brutally murdered in their captors’ hands, be equated to a non-targeted baby who dies in an airstrike. Both are innocent, and both deaths are tragic. But there is zero moral equivalence between the two.
Why Christians Must Speak Against Antisemitism Now
The 2025 State of Antisemitism in America report by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) revealed that 66 percent of American Jews feel less secure living in America than the year prior, and 81 percent feel antisemitism has increased in the United States—up from 61 percent in 2024. [1]
While there are several reasons for the increase, one thing can stop it. One of the largest demographics in America—Evangelical Christians—must be educated to recognize antisemitism in all its forms and stand against its spread into society. If the Holocaust taught us anything, it is that a silent majority is an enabling majority. Christians in the United States must learn to speak out while they can.
Get involved with the ICEJ USA at: www.icejusa.org/get-involved/
Sign the Christian Declaration Against Antisemitism at: www.icejusa.org/christian-declaration-against-antisemitism/
[1]"The State of Antisemitism in America 2025," American Jewish Committee, February 2026, https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2025.
Frequently Asked Questions about Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories
- Why do conspiracy theories often target Jewish communities?
Conspiracy theories often target Jewish communities because antisemitism has long relied on false claims that Jews secretly control events, profit from crises, or manipulate society. - How did pandemics fuel antisemitism?
During pandemics such as the Black Death and COVID crisis, antisemites used fear and confusion to blame Jewish people for suffering they did not cause. - Why is Holocaust denial antisemitic?
Holocaust denial is antisemitic because it denies or minimizes the Nazi genocide of European Jews and falsely accuses Jewish people of inventing or exaggerating their suffering. - What is October 7 denial?
October 7 denial refers to attempts to dismiss, distort, or minimize the documented Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, including murder, hostage-taking, and sexual violence. - How should Christians respond to antisemitic conspiracy theories?
Christians should reject false witness, seek truth, refuse scapegoating, speak against antisemitism, and stand with Jewish neighbors before hatred gains more ground.
For Further Reading
- Rising Antisemitism in America
- The Uncomfortable Truth about the Rise in Antisemitic Sentiment
- Why Christians Must Resist Antisemitism
- How Christians Should Respond to Antisemitism
- How Christianity’s Jewish Roots Help Christians Resist Antisemitism
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Gudella
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