At the end of the year, the Wiesenthal Center summarizes the ten worst cases of anti-Semitism. Germany has also been criticized because “the taboos surrounding hatred of Jews were further broken” around the documenta art exhibition. Kanye West tops the anti-Semitism list.
According to the Wiesenthal Center, rapper Kanye West is at the top of the ten worst anti-Semitic incidents of 2022 with his statements misused the media to “use hatred, fanaticism and ignorance as weapons,” according to the Wiesenthal Center report. West helped bring hatred of Jews into the mainstream on social media.
The 15th edition of the documenta art exhibition in Kassel is in eighth place on the list. “In Germany, taboos surrounding hatred of Jews continue to be broken, fueled by sections of the German government and an art elite that allowed the inclusion of anti-Semitic depictions at the prestigious documenta by a group supporting the boycott of Israel,” it said.
The documenta in Hesse was shaken before and during its run by ever new allegations of anti-Semitism. Shortly after the opening in mid-June, a work with anti-Semitic imagery was discovered and dismantled. Even after that, works with anti-Jewish stereotypes were found. The curatorial collective of the documenta, Ruangrupa, was criticized and accused, among other things, of being close to the Israel boycott movement BDS.
The Wiesenthal Center also criticized that there was “empathy, but not enough action” in the face of anti-Semitic attacks in Germany and other places in the world. The list also included the UN Human Rights Council, which Israel repeatedly accuses of unfair one-sidedness, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his agency, state-imposed hatred of Israel in Iran, and anti-Semitism at US universities. Lastly, there is the Telegram channel, which is said to be used by anti-Semites to spread their hate messages.
Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the Wiesenthal Center became known for its worldwide search for Nazi criminals who had gone into hiding. But it also strives to promote tolerance and fights against racism, anti-Semitism, terrorism and genocide around the world.
