We often speak of disinformation as a creature of the internet, but it has for centuries been a potent weapon of antisemites. Anti-Jewish libels have been devoured by the masses throughout history, triggering outrage and violence:

“The Jews caused the Black Plague.” When millions of Europeans perished in the “Black Death,” Jews were falsely accused of causing the outbreak by poisoning water wells. Broad public acceptance of this myth triggered waves of anti-Jewish pogroms and massacres in the fourteenth century.

“The Jews murder Gentile children to consume their blood in religious rituals….” These “blood libels” were among the most destructive antisemitic tools in medieval and early modern Europe, leading to torture, expulsions, and persecution.

“The Jews are masterminds of a global conspiracy to control the world.” This claim originated from a fabricated document called the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” in the early 20th The hoax was amplified by none other than the London Times in a 1920 article. The document was subsequently acknowledged as a Russian forgery, but it is still cited by neo-Nazis in the West and in some Middle Eastern countries. The debunked document was cited in the founding charter of Hamas, the terrorist group that has long controlled the Gaza Strip.

“The Jews are plotting to conquer the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” In 1929 Palestinian leaders including Grand Mufti Hajj Amin al-Husseini circulated this false claim, fomenting widespread massacres in Hebron and throughout the region, with 133 Jews killed and 400 wounded. The same false claim sparked the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000, and Hamas again recycled the lie to stoke fury in the October 7, 2023 murders, rapes and kidnappings of Israeli civilians. (Side note: the 1929 Hebron massacre defies the argument that Arab violence against Jews is due to the “occupation” or the formation of the modern State of Israel, for it long preceded both. Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t yet born but the Muslim Brotherhood was, having been established by the radical preacher Hassan al Banna in 1928.)

“The Jews are to blame for the collapse of the German economy.” Hitler targeted the Jews as scapegoats in his climb to power. Countless Germans devoured the lie. (Side note: Hitler and Hajj Amin al Husseini of Hebron massacre fame became close allies.)

“Jews have no historical connection to Israel.” Palestinian leaders have long peddled this myth, which pretends away oceans of historical and archeological evidence, is repeated in the Palestinian Liberation Organization Charter, and serves as the foundation for the absurd claim that Jews are “colonizers” of Israel. The Jews have no homeland other than Israel and if they are “colonizers” they have done a pitiful job, for Israel is no bigger than New Jersey and only about nine miles wide at the waist. (Side note: compare to the Ottoman Empire, which expanded dramatically from a small principality in northwestern Anatolia, ultimately controlling vast territory across multiple continents.)

These lies are effective. Why?

The smaller a minority, the more vulnerable it is to libel. Less than a quarter of one percent of the world’s population is Jewish; the ratio is about 400 to 1. Those lopsided numbers play out exactly as one would expect in social media forums and street rallies. When the overwhelming majority constantly repeats incendiary accusations against the tiny minority, the noise........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)