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NEWS
Predictable Wave of Antisemitism in Wake of Madoff
Scam
by Yated Ne'eman Staff
As expected the US has been inundated with a surge of
antisemitism following the enormous securities fraud
perpetrated by former NASDAQ chairman Bernard Madoff. Both
the press and the electronic media, especially Internet
blogs, stress Madoff's Jewish identity.
Conspiracy theories also abound, claiming Jews steal money
and transfer it to Israel. The libelous claims include
remarks such as "another Jewish moneychanger thief," "that's
what happens when you place your trust in a Jew," and "it was
very nice that Madoff managed to transfer money to the
Israeli government and channeled losses to the US investors."
Or "Who are the New York owners of the corrupt cleaning and
moving companies? Who are the corrupt lawyers? Who are the
thieving owners of the giant corporations on Wall Street?
Which people/religion/race is in control? Where there's smoke
there's fire."
The Jewish community in the US also took a major
psychological blow, finding it hard to come to grips with the
fact a community member held in such high regard was capable
of deceiving so many of his friends.
In a letter to the New York Times, the executive director of
the American Jewish Committee, David Harris, stated
objections to an article that emphasized the fact Madoff
donated hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to various
Jewish causes. "Yes he is Jewish," wrote Harris. "But was
this relevant to his being arrested for cheating
investors...?"
According to Avraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation
League, the scandal provides ammunition for people with
prejudices. "Jews are always a convenient scapegoat in times
of crisis, but the Madoff scandal and the fact that so many
of the defrauded investors are Jewish has created a perfect
storm for the antisemites," he said. "Nowadays, the first
place Jew-haters will go is to the Internet, where they can
give voice to their hateful ideas without fear of
repercussions."
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