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Will Wall St. crisis spur anti-Semitism?

Ben Harris
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

heldAnd it's because it's spreading past
Wall Street now There's a growing ani-
mosity towards the wealthy, and especially
New York
the wealthy that have made money on Wall
Street and in real estate and finance, as
n the world according to the comedy
so many Jews have — some legitimately,
writers at Saturday Night Live, the
some not so. It's very easy to generalize
pyramid of complicity in the current
that it must be the entire Jewish people!'
financial crisis runs like this:
Others in the industry are not so sure
On the bottom are poor and minority
about a backlash against Jews. Daniel
homeowners victimized by predatory
Cohen, who works in investment banking
lending. Next come condo-flipping yup-
at JPMorgan Chase, said he has neither
pies out for a quick buck. They're followed seen nor heard anything worth getting
by rapacious bankers who cashed out
worked up about regarding fears that
before the economy crumbled. And on top
anti-Semitism could be a consequence of
are billionaire financiers who pocketed the the financial crisis. "I don't think it's ever
government bailout and quickly moved it
crossed my mind, to be honest;' Cohen
offshore.
said.
In the SNL imagination, the top two cat-
While global crises of all stripes his-
egories seemingly are populated by Jews.
torically have drawn out fringe elements
In a skit broadcast Saturday night, Oct.
eager to scapegoat Jews, the prominence
5, barely a day after Congress authorized
of Jews in the financial industry — and
a massive bailout of the ailing financial
the conspicuously Jewish names adorning
industry, the jokesters at SNL conjured a
many of the nation's top investment banks
post-vote news conference in Washington
— have given the conspiracy theorists an
featuring these four categories of char-
unusually rich trove of ammunition and
acters. Playing the part of the rapacious
many Jews a cause for anxiety
bankers were Herbert and Marion Sandler,
"As we witnessed after 9-11, whenever
the Jewish owners of a savings and loan
there is trouble or uncertainty in the
sold to Wachovia Bank for $24 billion in
economy or world events, Jews become
2006.
the scapegoats, and ugly anti-Semitic
"Actually, we've done quite well. We're
canards are given new life," said Abraham
very happy; Marion cackles in a thick New Foxman, the national director of the Anti-
York accent, as the screen identifies her
Defamation League.
and her husband as "People who should
Last week, the ADL reported a "dramatic
be shot!'
surge" in anti-Semitic Internet postings
The financier is George Soros, the
related to the economy. The group said
Jewish Holocaust survivor and financier,
the Internet chatter is not limited to neo-
who in his thick Dr. Strangelove accent
Nazi and white supremacist sites, but has
brags that he pocketed the government
spread to mainstream Web sites such as
bailout money and converted it into Swiss
Yahoo! and AOL, where "hundreds" of
francs because he has taken a short posi-
anti-Semitic messages have flooded finan-
tion on the U.S. dollar.
cial discussion boards.
Are these caricatures anti-Semitic? As
Bill Cunningham, a popular conserva-
of Oct. 7, the clip had been pulled from the tive radio host, said he received two or
show's Web site. NBC did not immediately three calls in the past few weeks from
respond to inquiries as to why.
listeners who mentioned Jewish control of
Regardless of whether the writers
the banking system.
intended to paint Jews as responsible
"I've been on the radio 25 years;' said
for the crisis, the skit is almost sure to
Cunningham, who is nationally syndicat-
aggravate a growing concern: that Jews
ed. "I had not heard that until this money
ultimately could find themselves blamed
crisis began!'
for the nation's financial meltdown.
While such sentiments occasionally find
"There is definitely a fear among cer-
public platforms, the locus of anti-Jewish
tain Jews in this industry;' said a Jewish
agitation — and its most articulate and
employee with a top New York investment
virulent expression — is found on known
bank who asked that his name be with-
anti-Semitic and white supremacist Web

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Was this SNL skit a sign that there will be anti-Semitic backlash
over the financial crisis?

sites such as the Vanguard News Network
the commenter, identified on the site as
and Overthrow.com , a Web site pub-
Sgruber.
lished by the American National Socialist
"Jews are destroyers. They aren't after
Workers Party.
their own long-range advantage. Long-
Writers on these sites lay responsibility
range they want the earth plunged into a
for the crisis squarely at the feet of Jewish
Dark Ages of endless poverty. This is why
bankers and Zionists. They allege that
the jews must be killed. They are rats eat-
Jewish government officials, notably U.S.
ing the grain and the brain of the world."
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
Unlike the white supremacist sites, most
and Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman
of the anti-Jewish sentiment on well-traf-
of the U.S. House of Representatives
ficked mainstream Web sites are confined
Financial Services Committee, supported a to mostly unmoderated message areas
congressional bailout to help their co-reli- hosted by Yahoo! and Google. Many are
gionists on Wall Street. A Frank character
replete with spelling and grammatical
also was featured on the Saturday Night
errors, and are heavy on name-calling.
Live skit.
The ADL praised such sites for doing
Some posts also have taken aim
their best to delete anti-Semitic messages,
at Congress for taking off over Rosh
though it cautioned that due to the volume
Hashanah, which fell amid marathon
and the free-for-all-nature of the Internet,
negotiations on the bailout. The bill even-
comprehensive policing is nearly impos-
tually was passed late Friday, Oct. 3.
sible.
"Look at how they are portraying these
Deborah Lauter, who heads the Airs
people who are staying up late in the
civil rights division, said that Yahoo! saw a
Capitol to pass this $700 billion bailout,"
significant decrease in anti-Semitic mate-
wrote one commenter on a forum of the
rial following the release of the ADL report
Vanguard News Network. "They're makin
on Oct. 3. "While we can't know for certain
it look like they're `workin hard', (takin
the exact reason for the decrease, we sus-
action', `reaching a solution' ... Yeah, they
pect it is due to action by Yahoo rather
are probably sittin around eating crum-
than any increased restraint by Finance
pets while the Jews are driving away with
Message Board members;' Lauter said.
truck loads of hundred dollar bills."
"New problematic posts are almost non-
Another commenter on the site wrote
existent and the majority of problematic
that "jew monsters" are seeking to bank-
material posted since early September has
rupt the entire planet. "It's really more
been deleted." ❑
like vampires sucking a corpse dry:' wrote

October 9 • 2008

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