Key Points
- Antisemitic conspiracy theories often rely on scapegoating rather than consistent evidence or logic.
- Jewish people have repeatedly been blamed for wars, disease, economic problems, and political crises throughout history.
- Many antisemitic accusations directly contradict one another, revealing that the prejudice does not depend on a coherent set of facts.
- Christians should care about antisemitism because false witness, hatred, and scapegoating stand contrary to biblical truth.
- History demonstrates that conspiracy theories and dehumanizing rhetoric can become dangerous when societies allow them to spread unchecked.
By ICEJ USA President Dr. Susan Michael
The case for antisemitism is not based on reason, logic, or even facts. Instead, it relies on conspiracy theories that contradict facts and even other conspiracy theories to make its case. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this day when truth would no longer matter, writing “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).
Consider just one recent antisemitic incident reflecting this absurdity.
This past summer, the United States hosted the 2026 World Cup soccer matches. On July 3, Egypt defeated Australia, and one of the Egyptian coaches raised a Palestinian flag and dedicated the win to the Palestinian people. A few days later, when Egypt played Argentina, some Argentinian fans waved Israeli flags in jest. (This kind of taunting is not uncommon in soccer to get under an opponent’s skin.)
However, when Egypt subsequently lost, not only was the referee blamed, but so was Israel. To prove the Zionist conspiracy against the Egyptian team, the referee’s Wikipedia page was vandalized to wrongly claim he was Jewish.
A week later, Morocco was defeated by France 2–0 in a quarterfinal. By any rational measure, the Jewish people had nothing to do with it. Yet within hours, rioting crowds in European cities were setting off fires and chanting, “Hamas! Hamas! All Jews to the gas chambers.” Others shouted that Jews were a cancer. Riots followed across Europe.
There aren’t adequate words for how ridiculous this is. A North African team lost a soccer match, and the immediate, unthinking reflex was to call for the murder of Jews. Clearly, this is not about soccer but about finding someone else to blame for failures or problems by concocting or promoting a conspiracy theory against someone else—the Jewish people.
Why Are Jews So Often Blamed for the World’s Problems?
Jews are being blamed these days for just about everything in modern political discourse. Consider several recent global events that highlight this recurring pattern.
Mass Migration
Over 70 thousand migrants (primarily young Moroccan men) crossed into Ceuta, Spain, driven by social media disinformation that misinterpreted a Spanish Supreme Court ruling. Ignoring the problem of high unemployment in Morocco that these migrants were fleeing, platforms like X were flooded with claims that Israel “orchestrated” the wave of migrants to destabilize Europe. Even the president of Spain blamed Israel without presenting evidence.
Assassinations
After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, before investigators had a suspect in custody—much less a motive—and before the public knew basic facts, online conspiracy theories claimed Israel or the Mossad was responsible. One analysis found that those posts drew over 139 million views in five days. The lie moved faster than the manhunt, forcing Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to deny it twice.
Global Pandemics
During COVID, fringe conspiracy theories simultaneously asserted two incompatible things: that Jews engineered the virus as a bioweapon to destroy Western economies, while concurrently claiming they invented the vaccine to secretly microchip the population and profit off the cure.
Terrorist Attacks
The United States recently passed the 25-year anniversary of September 11, which should have been a universal moment of remembrance. Instead, antisemites exploited it to spread lies blaming Israel and the Jews. One popular lie was the fabricated claim that 4,000 Israelis working at the World Trade Center received a text warning to stay home. The irony is thick: the attack carried out by Muslim jihadists who hate Israel was blamed on Israel.
War and Humanitarian Aid
During the Israel-Hamas war sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Israel delivered and facilitated enough humanitarian aid that a July 2026 UNICEF study showed Gaza’s nutritional levels for women and children exceeded those of several neighboring Arab countries and European nations. Yet Israel was accused of starving Gazans and committing genocide. Furthermore, while the Gaza war had the lowest ratio of civilian-to-military deaths in any modern war, Israel was still accused of indiscriminate slaughter.
How Has Antisemitic Scapegoating Repeated Throughout History?
A soccer match, a pandemic, a war, an assassination, mass migration, a terrorist attack—somehow, sooner or later, someone finds a way to blame the Jews. This is not a new phenomenon but a pattern that has repeated for centuries.
In the Middle Ages, the Jews were accused of poisoning wells and were burned alive for the Black Death—a plague they were dying from at the same rate as everyone else. During the Spanish Inquisition, Jews were accused of corrupting the Christian faith and were expelled, tortured, or forced to convert. The false claim that Jews ritually murder Christian children, called blood libel, was used as a political weapon, despite Jewish religious law strictly forbidding the consumption of blood.
The ultimate absurdity occurred during World War II, when Nazi ideology claimed Jewish people were biologically “sub-human” and inferior yet simultaneously portrayed them as a hyper-intelligent global force capable of secretly controlling world superpowers.
Why Do Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories Contradict Themselves?
Consider how these accusations contradict one another:
The Jews are blamed for capitalism and for communism.
They are accused of controlling Wall Street and destroying economies.
They are called globalists and accused of loyalty only to Israel.
They are portrayed as parasites and as all-powerful puppet masters.
Think about the irrationality of that last point: 15 million Jews—less than 0.2% of humanity—are routinely accused of controlling the world.
These conflicting claims highlight the complete absurdity of antisemitism. It is not rational, yet it survives because it has never depended on evidence but entirely on the willingness to believe that someone else is always to blame. And because it is illogical and irrational, reasoning alone will never stop it.
What Does Reality Reveal About Jewish Contributions to Society?
Reality tells a completely different story. While Jews represent less than two-tenths of one percent of the world’s population, their contributions to humanity have been extraordinary. Jewish physicians and scientists have transformed global healthcare; Jewish thinkers have shaped law, ethics, literature, and philosophy; and Jewish individuals have received roughly one-fifth (20 percent) of all Nobel Prizes.
Plus, Israel has become a global leader in emergency medicine, cybersecurity, agriculture, desalination, water technology, and scientific innovation—Elon Musk even recently noted that on a per-capita basis, the Jewish people may have contributed more to humanity than any other group.
This remarkably small people group has impacted civilization far beyond their numbers. Should that not inspire respect rather than resentment? Curiosity rather than conspiracy? Gratitude rather than suspicion?
Unfortunately, though success can inspire admiration, it can also provoke jealousy and resentment in those looking for a reason to explain their own disappointments—those seeking a scapegoat to feel better about themselves. This is the story of the Jewish people.
Why Is Antisemitism a Warning Sign for Society?
This is no longer only a Jewish issue—it is a test of civilization itself. A civilization that blames Jews for everything is one with major problems.
Antisemitism is frequently called the “canary in a coal mine”—an early warning sign of impending danger. Miners carried caged canaries into underground tunnels because the birds’ sensitivity to toxic gases like carbon monoxide alerted miners to danger before it was too late.
The global explosion of antisemitism is a clear warning that Western civilization has a serious societal sickness. To survive, we must admit the danger and take action—because the Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers. It began with words. With slogans. With rumors. And with conspiracy theories.
Learn more about antisemitism—download a free PDF of the booklet Antisemitism: What Every Christian Needs to Know and How to Counter It at: www.icejusa.org/download-your-free-copy-of-antisemitism-what-ever-christian-needs-to-know
Frequently Asked Questions
What is antisemitism?
Antisemitism is prejudice, hostility, discrimination, or hatred directed toward Jewish people because they are Jewish.
Why do conspiracy theories often blame Jewish people?
Antisemitic conspiracy theories frequently use Jewish people as scapegoats for complicated political, economic, and social problems, often without evidence and even when the accusations contradict one another.
What is an example of an antisemitic conspiracy theory?
One longstanding example is the false claim that thousands of Jewish or Israeli workers were warned to stay home from the World Trade Center before the September 11 attacks.
Is criticizing Israel automatically antisemitic?
No. Criticism of a government's policies is not inherently antisemitic. Antisemitism involves prejudice or hostility toward Jewish people, including applying longstanding anti-Jewish stereotypes or collective blame.
How should Christians respond to antisemitism?
Christians can reject false witness and conspiracy theories, learn accurate history, speak against hatred, and treat Jewish neighbors with dignity, truth, and love.
For Further Reading
- Why Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories Demand a Christian Response
- The History of Antisemitism and the Evil Forces Behind It
- How Christianity’s Jewish Roots Help Christians Resist Antisemitism
- When Antisemitism Targets the Church
- Why Christians Must Confront the Rising Tide of Antisemitism in America
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Paul Souders
