An alleged threat to kill Jewish government leaders in Michigan reflects two of the most dangerous, and interlocking, menaces in American politics and society – an alarming spike in antisemitism and escalating threats against elected officials.
Police last month arrested a man accused of posting a Twitter threat to “carry out the punishment of death” against anyone Jewish in the Wolverine State’s government. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Thursday she was among those targeted.
This is the latest example of a growing trend of intimidation and attacks targeting Jewish people at a time when extremists, who might once have been isolated, find affirmation and spurs to act from social media. Only a few years ago, top American officials would bemoan rising antisemitism in Europe and question whether the lessons of the Holocaust were being forgotten: Now it’s a growing and pernicious feature of US life that threatens the security and peace of mind of millions of citizens whom extremists want to ostracize as outsiders in their own country.
In certain political and social media circles – sometimes fueled by celebrities – antisemitic rhetoric that was once taboo seems to be filtering into accepted discourse, alongside conspiracy theories like QAnon. It is hardly a coincidence that assaults, vandalism and harassment targeting Jewish communities and individuals in the United States have raced to their highest levels on record.
And the consequences run much deeper than this inhumanity. History shows that antisemitism, which is attractive to unhinged conspiracy theorists, is often an early warning sign or a symptom of deepening threats to democracy. The latest spate of incidents targeting Jewish Americans coincides with unprecedented attacks on the integrity of elections and the public officials who administer them. It comes as right-wing commentators…
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