The following letter was adapted from a Shabbat sermon delivered to my congregation in response to a concert scheduled by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) in our local stadium. After an attempt by the Tampa Bay Jewish community, along with politicians and other advocates, to have the concert canceled was unsuccessful, I felt that a letter to the artist, who has apologized for his anti-semitic statements and actions (including Holocaust denial (and association with Nick Fuentes), claims of being a Nazi, a song called “Heil Hitler,” and more), was the way in which my voice as a rabbi could contribute best to the conversation. The letter was published in the Tampa Bay Times on June 26, the morning of the first of two concerts. He is also currently scheduled to appear in San Antonio on July 4 and Chicago September 3 and 4.

We don’t know each other. You’re not a regular on my Spotify playlist, just as I can assume you’ve never listened to my sermons, but I do know the immense impact you’ve had on so many, including young people in my congregation. 

That said, I feel like I met you after seeing your commercial in last year’s Super Bowl.  Curious to see what this man in a dentist’s chair was selling, I went to your website, as I can only imagine many of those watching, especially those who admire you, would have done. Once there, I saw you were selling only one item. It was a t-shirt with a swastika – the symbol worn by the people who murdered my great grandparents, so much of my family, six million Jews and millions of others. My first thought was, “He must have been hacked,” but after reading your........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)