Scapegoating Jews as a Political Strategy

January 13, 2026

BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS

From Tehran to Times Square: ‘Blame the Zionists’ Goes Global

A dangerous narrative is accelerating worldwide in the wake of deadly repression in Iran, fever-pitch political activism and rising violence against Jewish communities. World leaders, activists and influencers are increasingly using anti-Jewish rhetoric to support oppressive regimes, justify political violence and promote intimidation.

Iran’s Repression and the Politics of Deflection

The Islamic Republic of Iran is brutally responding to mass protests with an iron fist. Iranian citizens are rejecting oppression, human rights abuses and economic mismanagement. Night after night, the streets are filled with more and more protestors demanding freedom from the oppressive Islamist regime. The Ayatollah’s security forces responded with violent crackdowns and executions for voicing opposition. The Islamist regime cut off all communications with the outside world, including the internet and phone access. This is why the world does not know the true scale of the protests and the scope of deaths. Reports estimate the number of protestors from hundreds of thousands to millions, and the number murdered from 600 to reportedly more than 12,000 in “fully organized killings.”

Khamenei vowed that his regime will not “back down to vandals and saboteurs” – accusing the “Zionist regime” of seeking to “undermine national unity.” Blaming Israel and Jews is a millennia-old strategy which is playing out again. President Trump is considering military action if widespread slaughters continue. Iran responded by threatening to attack American troops based in the area and Israel – placing the Jewish state on high alert. Israelis are stocking resources and preparing their bomb shelters with Iran’s Twelve-Day War last June still fresh in mind.

The framing of “Zionists” as a hidden force manipulating governments and unrest draws from ancient conspiracy theories. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion – a fabricated Russian text published in 1903 – promoted the false idea of secret Jewish control and later informed Soviet propaganda portraying Zionism as a worldwide threat. In the 1990s, KKK leader David Duke popularized the term “Zio” as a substitute for Jews, language that has since been adopted by anti-Israel activists and antisemites.

Blaming ‘Zionists’ for All the World’s Problems

In a perverse irony, Jews and Israelis are being blamed for incidents from America to Australia. The recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement shooting in Minnesota brought back false claims of the Israeli military training ICE agents. Anti-Israel activists and influencers are equating ICE with the IDF or spreading false rumors that “ICE is an Israeli undercover operation overseen by the ADL to target anti-Israel activists.” Many activists also point to an ICE office at the U.S. embassy branch in Tel Aviv which ironically serves as a Homeland Security counterterrorism center.

Following the Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, Richmond (CA) Mayor Eduardo Martinez shared conspiracy theories on LinkedIn that “Jews carried out their own mass murder at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia.” The mayor has continued to receive public support because of his vocal advocacy for the Palestinians. Iranian-controlled media called the Bondi Beach massacre a false-flag operation intended to benefit Israel. Iranian media also amplified false claims that Israel assassinated American conservative Charlie Kirk.

Normalization of Anti-Jewish Hate

As antizionist rhetoric is increasingly normalized, anti-Jewish hostility has become a near daily occurrence across the U.S., including workplaces. In Jackson, Mississippi, the city’s only synagogue was left in ruins after an arson attack. The 19-year-old attacker started the blaze at Beth Israel Congregation because of “the building’s Jewish ties” and called it the “synagogue of Satan.” This very synagogue, which dates back to 1860, was attacked twice before – including in 1967 by the KKK.

In NYC, some employees at Breads Bakery are seeking to launch a union in protest against its Israeli Jewish owners. The workers publicly denounced the owners for supporting ‘genocide’ and opposed the bakery’s participation in a popular Jewish food festival. Hundreds of patrons showed up in support of the owners.

Similar incidents and pervasive narratives have become all too common internationally. Following a New Year’s fire at a Swiss bar that killed 40 people, an Italian commented, “I am sorry for all of them except for that one Israeli girl.” In the UK, a Jewish Member of Parliament was barred from visiting a primary school “in case his presence inflames teachers.” In Australia, a pro-Palestinian group accused the organizers of a now-cancelled writers festival of “shameful submission to Zionist racism” following the removal of a writer who praised the Oct. 7 massacres.

Protesters Outside NYC Synagogue: ‘We support Hamas’

About 200 anti-Israel activists recently protested near a NYC synagogue and Jewish school, chanting slogans that explicitly endorsed terrorism. Some protesters beat drums, waved Palestinian flags and chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here.” One activist shouted at Jewish counter-protesters, “I hope y’all get killed,” while another chanted, “Long live Oct. 7.” Yet another posted online before the event: “Meet me in Queens, gotta let these Jews know we not playin!!!”

Many leading Democratic politicians, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, AG Letitia James and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer immediately condemned the Hamas chants. Even some lawmakers with long anti-Israel records spoke out. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the slogans as “disgusting and antisemitic.” Her response prompted immediate backlash from high-profile activists:

• Bronx Anti-War Coalition: “Shut the f*ck up you zionist imperialist BITCH! We support Hamas here!”
• Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd: “Shut the f*ck up, I’m very proud of protesters at synagogues.”
• Liberal activist Angela Belcamino: “This is a bad take AOC.”

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani was slow to speak out, finally stating that “chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city.” Palestinian-American extremist organizer Nerdeen Kiswani responded that “Mamdani throws Palestinian organizations under the bus, I expect him to STFU.” She also recently said that “if we’re not fighting for Palestinians, then free childcare, housing and transit will just serve those who uphold Zionism and state violence.”

Selective Outrage Amid Iran’s Crackdown

Thousands of Iranian immigrants and dissidents have taken to the streets – including in LA, London and Paris – to support the protesters against the regime. One protester climbed up a wall of the Iranian embassy in London to replace the Islamic Republic’s flag with the historic lion and sun flag of pre-Islamic Iran. In contrast, at another demonstration in Washington, some pro-Palestinian activists went right up to the Iranian protesters, shouting “Free Palestine” through a bullhorn.

As antizionist rhetoric has intensified, many of the same activists, organizations and public figures have remained silent on the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown on its own citizens. Celebrities and influencers – including Mark Ruffalo, Hannah Einbinder and Greta Thunberg – who regularly rant against Israel have been completely silent about Iran’s executions, shootings of protesters or suppression of women’s rights. Nor have university students staged encampments. As Russian dissident Garry Kasparov stated simply: “No Jews, no news.”

Some activists have gone further. Democratic Socialists of America international leader Mirah Wood: “Long live Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

1. Human freedom matters everywhere – or it matters nowhere: Human rights are not a selective cause. Movements that claim to stand for justice lose credibility when they ignore repression that does not fit their political narrative. When activists and leaders remain silent as Iranian protesters are beaten, jailed and executed – while ranting aggressively against “Zionists” – they reveal that hatred of Jews is their top concern. Silence in the face of authoritarian violence is not neutrality. Defending human rights requires consistency, not convenience.
2. Extremist movements rely on scapegoats to avoid accountability: Authoritarians and radical groups survive by deflecting blame away from themselves – often onto Jews. Rather than answer for corruption, repression or failure, leaders redirect public anger toward an external enemy. This tactic preserves control, mobilizes followers and shuts down scrutiny. Scapegoating is a strategy to maintain power – without accountability.
3. Replacing “Jews” with “Zionists” does not make hatred acceptable: Substituting one word for another does not change the target or lessen the harm. When people insist they oppose “Zionists, not Jews” while blaming Jews for war, economic failures or social injustices, they are assigning collective guilt to Jews under political cover. This ploy drives antisemitic ideas while evading accountability. Rebranding hatred does not make it principled, justified or acceptable.
4. Leaders who excuse hate create space for violence: When public officials and community leaders dismiss anti-Jewish rhetoric as political expression or look away from activists targeting Jews, they signal permission. Extremists interpret silence as a free pass to act. What begins as slogans and threats quickly escalates into harassment and physical attacks. History shows that violence does not emerge spontaneously – it grows when those in power refuse to take a stand.

Accountability requires shifting attention from those targeted by hate to those who enable it. Protecting democratic norms and human freedom depends on confronting intimidation, extremism and selective outrage wherever they appear.

• Hold leaders publicly accountable: Demand clear, timely responses from elected national and local officials when intimidation, threats or violence are justified as “political expression.” Silence and hedging normalize extremism. Reward leaders who draw firm lines and challenge those who excuse or minimize attacks.
• Expose and challenge extremist narratives: Call out organizations, activists and public figures who excuse repression abroad while legitimizing harassment at home. Ask direct questions about their silence on Iran, their alliances and the consequences of their rhetoric.
• Report Incidents: Report threats, harassment and disruptions at synagogues, schools and community spaces to law enforcement and relevant organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, StandWithUs, StopAntisemitism and The Lawfare Project

Stories Impacting American Jews

• Watch & Share: Shabbos Kestenbaum 5-minute debunking of myths around Israel power
• New poll: Majority of Jewish NYC voters feel threatened with Mayor Mamdani in office
• NYC Teachers for Palestine to teach “resistance” to students as young as six on MLK Day
• NY’s Cooper Union College settles Title VI antisemitism case in favor of the 10 Jewish students barricaded in library
• NYC sex offender threatens to kill Jews, NYPD cops and feds
• Outgoing Virginia AG reminds schools of obligation to adopt IHRA antisemitism definition
• Israeli lawmaker calls on American right to reject “poison” of far-right influencers Carlson, Owens
• Asked about antisemitism, VP Vance says “all forms of ethnic hatred” should be rejected
• President Trump: “We don’t need or like antisemites in the Republican party”

Stories Impacting the U.S. and Israel

• Trump admin designates Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt as foreign terror groups
• United Arab Emirates reportedly slashing scholarships to study in UK: “We don’t want their kids to be radicalized on campus”
• Bronx Anti-War Coalition: “Freedom in Syria was U.S.-Zionist plot”
• U.S. lawmakers weigh in on fears of Saudi Arabia accommodating Islamists
• Large majority – 76% – of Jewish Israelis feel safer in Israel than abroad
• Israeli foreign minister makes historic first visit to Somaliland to strengthen ties, praises Samoa for “moral decision” to open embassy in Jerusalem
• 150,000 tulips donated by Dutch Christians starting to bloom in Israel
• Syrian German converting to Judaism: “What is Zionism without Judaism, without the original story, the language, the laws, the calendar, and the covenant that bind a people to a specific land and history?”

Stories from Around the World

• Spain: Leading newspaper disparages Jewish background of Maduro trial judge: impartial “despite being Jewish”
• UK: BBC documentary on the Holocaust omits mentioning Jews
• Canada: Jewish leaders “dumbfounded” after judge lets Holocaust memorial vandal off with time served

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This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with MERCAZ USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. MERCAZ USA recognizes and respects the diversity of views on these issues among its readers and the community at large.

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