Celebrities are reposting a statement from Jessica Seinfeld, who urged followers to add “I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people” to their feeds
Celebrities including Khloé Kardashian, Reese Witherspoon and Amy Schumer are among those standing in solidarity with Jewish people following an uptick in antisemitic incidents in the Los Angeles area over the weekend.
The online support is in response to a post from Jessica Seinfeld on Instagram Sunday, following comments made earlier this month by Kanye West, who said in now-deleted social media posts earlier this month that he wanted to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
“If you don’t know what to say, you can just say this in your feed,” Seinfeld, 51, wrote, alongside a graphic with the words “I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people.”
Kardashian reposted the words late Sunday across her social media channels, while Witherspoon weighed in on Twitter.
“Anti-semitism in any form is deplorable. In person. Online. Doesn’t matter where. It’s hate and it’s unacceptable,” the Oscar winner tweeted on Sunday, later sharing her words to her Instagram Stories. “Completely understand why my Jewish friends/ colleagues are frightened for their families. This is a very scary time.”
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One day earlier, banners were unfurled on a 405 Freeway overpass that featured antisemitic signs and referenced West with the words, “Kanye is right about the Jews.”
According to KTLA, other white supremacist signs have appeared several times this year over 101 Freeway overpasses in Ventura County.
For those of you that said we should ignore Ye’s comments. Please explain how and why we should ignore him when his words have now galvanized this white supremacist group even more. This is not a laughing matter. We have to stand up and protect our Jewish friends. pic.twitter.com/D4ok2iKEzF
— Malynda Hale (@MalyndaHale) October 23, 2022
The activity is all part of a rise of antisemitic vitriol.
Last year marked an all-time high for such incidents, according to the Anti-Defamation League, with attacks against synagogues and Jewish community centers increasing by 61%, and a total of 2,717 occurrences of assault, harassment and vandalism reported to the ADL.
On Sunday, Schumer urged followers to pay attention while offering context about the slate of recent incidents.
“Do you know what the Jewish community is afraid this will lead to? 1 in 2 people don’t know the holocaust happened. Stand up. #neveragain,” she posted on Twitter.
Earlier this month, John Legend, Lizzo, Jack Antonoff, Howard Stern and Michael Rapaport were among a slew of celebrities who spoke out against West’s hateful comments.
Legend did not mention his former friend by name but alluded to the comments on Twitter, writing, “Weird how all these ‘free, independent thinkers’ always land at the same old anti blackness and anti semitism.”
Meanwhile, Rapaport shared a short video clip to Twitter in which he slammed West’s comments, calling them “unacceptable.”
In the weeks since West made his statements, the rapper — who legally changed his name to Ye last October — has been dropped by brands like Balenciaga and removed from social media platforms, including Twitter and Instagram. A deal to acquire Parler has since been announced, the controversial conservative social media site’s parent company saying that West’s planned purchase will ensure “an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome.”
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