Are Charlie Sheen, Glenn Beck, John Galliano and Julian Assange Anti-Semites?

How does one know when someone's comment is anti-Semitic? I suppose it's the same as how United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart explained pornography in the 1964 case of Jacobellis v. Ohio: "I know it when I see it."

There have been several high profile examples of anti-Semitic outbursts recently. And like famous anti-Semitic rants in the past, there has been much debate as to whether these recent cases should be classified as anti-Semitic. In all of these instances, one could argue, "I know it when I see it."

There are times when a celebrity makes a poor choice, but is likely not being intentionally anti-Semitic. Examples are when Roseanne Barr dressed as Adolf Hitler and posed for a magazine and when Prince Harry went to a costume party in a Nazi uniform. However, when Mel Gibson repeatedly espoused his anti-Jewish feelings, there was no question about his motivation or true feelings.

In recent days, we've heard questionable comments by Charlie Sheen and Glenn Beck. We've seen video footage of Dior designer John Galliano expressing his love for Hitler and berating innocent people with anti-Semitic slurs. And a recent report said that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange suggested that British journalists, including the editor of The Guardian, were engaged in a Jewish-led conspiracy to smear his organization.

Charlie Sheen, who continues to prove that his "Wild Thing" character in the movie Major League was pretty close to his real persona, referred to the executive producer of Two and a Half Men by his Hebrew name: Rather than calling him Chuck Lorre, Sheen referred to him as "Chaim Levine" and raised red flags throughout the media and in Jewish organizations. Not only has Sheen denied that there was any anti-Semitic undertone in his rant, he is now requesting that the Anti-Defamation League and its director Abe Foxman apologize to him for condemning his remarks.

It's pretty obvious that Sheen's not getting very good PR counsel these days (if any at all) because he expressed his admiration for Mel Gibson in an interview with Howard Stern. I don't think Mel Gibson is the guy you want to bring into your corner when you've been accused of an anti-Semitic rant.

Glenn Beck recently apologized for his insult to Reform Jews. The Fox News talking head said Reform rabbis are "almost like radicalized Islam." He was responding to a letter condemning his virulent attack on George Soros. I was one of several non-Reform rabbis who signed the letter urging Fox News to fire Beck. While I don't agree with Soros' politics and certainly find his views on Israel to be troubling, I understood Beck's comments about Soros (comparing him to the Nazis) to be anti-Semitic in nature. While Beck will likely never apologize for his Soros tirade, it is telling that he apologized to the angered Reform (not "Reformed" as Beck called them) rabbis.

The anti-Semitic comments by Christian Dior designer John Galliano in a shocking videotape (see below) were quite obviously anti-Semitic. Dior has fired him for his hateful comments and he was arrested by French police over allegations that he abused a couple in an angry, drunken, anti-Semitic diatribe. Oscar winner Natalie Portman, who represents Dior in perfume ads, said she was disgusted with John Galliano over his anti-Semitic rants. In a written statement, Portman said, "In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way."

Finally, Julian Assange's comments seemed to be more paranoia than anti-Semitism. He suggested that British journalists were conspiring to smear his organization. The New York Times reports that Assange "was especially angry about a Private Eye report that Israel Shamir, an Assange associate in Russia, was a Holocaust denier. Mr. Assange complained that the article was part of a campaign by Jewish reporters in London to smear WikiLeaks."

While Assange's accusation does sound like the age-old charge that the Jews own and run the media, it might not be anti-Semitic. Rather, Assange is probably feeling like everyone is out to get him after the recent WikiLeaks dumps of classified information.

Are anti-Semitic comments on the rise? I don't think so. Rather, there has been a trend of high-profile individuals making anti-Semitic statements. It's entirely possible that these hate-filled tirades reveal the true sentiments of these celebrities. Hopefully, they will apologize for their outbursts and be more dignified and sane in the future.

 

Follow Rabbi Jason Miller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rabbijason

Comments

[dcainedwr]

11:06 AM on 03/08/2011

Rabbi, they all are anti-Semitic comments. How is it possible to "know" whether any of the statement makers truly is anti-Semitic? If it quacks like a duck, it's probably a bissel ducky.

Don't know about you, but I was raised to expect it from just about everyone. An ex-wife (one of several) had nary a Jew-hating bone in her goyishe body but would, from time to time, allow as how she enjoyed "Jewing down" some salesman. Am I a misogynist because I said "salesman" instead of "salesperson"? Quack, quack, quack.

[TheLibraryOfCodex]

04:43 PM on 03/05/2011

Assange isn't.

Sheen isn't.

Beck and Galiano are.

[Perceptron]

09:56 AM on 03/05/2011

Strange. Is there a notion more supremacist than the "chosen people" or of a nation founded on the basis or a race or religion?

[GlennBeckReview]

02:52 PM on 03/04/2011

Beck was making anti-Semitic remarks long before his recent assault upon decency. The thing about him is that Beck's such a paradox, a staunchly pro-Israeli anti-Semite. As an entertainer, he's the greatest show on Earth. As a political commentator, he's the greatest assault upon reason.

Let's call Beck America's most dangerous paradox.

[RabbiJason]

08:56 AM on 03/06/2011

Spot on. Great assessment. When I signed the open letter against Beck's attack on Soros (with 399 other rabbis), I took a lot of heat from friends who claimed Beck is pro-Israel. He might be. And I don't agree with Soros' Israel politics (supporter of J-Street, etc.), however, Beck's assault on Soros crossed the line of decency and sanity. We need to separate out Beck the anti-Semite from Beck the pro-Israel political conservative.

[docslacker]

08:39 PM on 03/06/2011

Beck is pro-Israel in the sense that many Evangelical Christians are (I know Beck's a Mormon.) They staunchly support Israel because they believe the biblical boundaries are necessary for the return of Jesus. Who will then turn around and promptly smite unbelievers.

[JohnFred]

12:46 PM on 03/04/2011

I disagree with Rabbi Miller on the point of whether anti-Semitic comments are on the rise. I believe they are on the rise but as a result of a general overall trend in the proliferation of hate speech. The internet brings many wonderful things but one of the strengths is also a weakness. The internet provides a forum for the expression of all sorts of ideas and some are truly evil. Jews, Gays, Catholics, Progressives... the list of targets for hate speech is long. When so much ugliness is being spewed forth it is not surprising that people who should know better feel permitted to share their own ugliness in public. I am glad to see Galliano being brought up on criminal charges. I wish that criminal charges were an option for Glenn Beck and his cohorts at Faux for all the evil they promulgate behind the banner of free speech.

[shonuff1914]

04:32 PM on 03/04/2011

honestly there is ugliness on both sides of the isle, and thankfully we have sites like this which allows for open discourse of topics like these...I think the response of our media and sometimes government to call someone anti-Semitic is close to feverish...People should be allowed to express negative views about the Israel state without fear of reprisal; Helen Thomas has earned a voice in her industry, only to be mocked and called senile after she voiced her objection to the current situation in Israel.

[Dhampir]

10:14 AM on 03/04/2011

I see casually made anti-Semitic comments on the web on a regular basis. I grew up in a poor neighborhood in a borough of Manhattan in the 1950's, where many of my neighbors and all but one of my friends were Jewish. Many of the local shopkeepers were Jewish, and if they had any wealth and power as the result of some conspiracy, they hid it extremely well, for all they seemed to do was work long, hard hours. (I'm mostly Irish and I was raised Catholic.) I think it's unfortunate that there are people who fight anti-Semitism in ways that are IMO unskillful, because I think this probably contributes to anti-Semitic attitudes. So thank goodness there are people like Rabbi Jason who neither deny the problem nor distort and/or exploit it.

[Tony Ganino]

06:08 AM on 03/04/2011

Everyone needs to ignore the semite/anti-semite question in regard to media public assassinations so it is deemed ineffective at destroying careers and won't be utilized any longer. It's the semite that will lose if it is not.

[canadapaul]

09:45 PM on 03/03/2011

Well written, level headed and even handed. I just don't think you should have included Assange in the equation. There is most definetly an organised attempt to bring him down ( and scare future followers ), not by Jewish people, but including Jewish members of Gov's, banks, media and Israel. They are all scared that their dirty secrets will be revealed. Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Atheists alike. imo

[RabbiJason]

08:57 AM on 03/06/2011

That's fair.

[canadapaul]

02:36 AM on 03/08/2011

Thank you Rabbi Jason, 1st time I've ever received a reply from the author of a post. Shalom

[ninetailedfox]

05:35 PM on 03/03/2011

Im not anti semitic, I dont like Isreal though. For one, no religious group should claim a country as their own.

[beninabox1]

04:05 PM on 03/04/2011

very nice. I take it you don't like any country in the middle east. Every other major religion has a country in which they are a majority.

[shonuff1914]

04:21 PM on 03/04/2011

Yeah it really gets a bad stink when you think that Israel almost ended up in Uganda and/or Kenya...Source Caroline Elkins "Imperial Reckoning".

[MAlas]

12:31 PM on 03/03/2011

LoL@ Sheen demanding an apology...

Its kind of sad these people are forced to send out an apology to keep their jobs...Rabbi their true feelings are clear cut...don't understand why you guys keep on thinking they will continue to be friendly with you.

Walk like an Egyptian, and tell them to screw it...

[courtb]

11:07 AM on 03/03/2011

I think a good place to start is the EUMC working definition, which the US State Department adopted.

I think you can make antisemitic comments or do antisemitic things without being a full blown anti-Semite. Just as people can make racist comments without being a full blown racist. That being said, I don't think we should excuse such behavior.

[ReadMyLipstick1]

11:03 AM on 03/03/2011

From my point of view, I think Beck, Gibson are, just based on the numerous and hateful remarks they’ve made, and “I know it when I see it”. I think some people, when they become totally enraged and spew out their anguish, it is much the same as a little kid would deal with anger. A little kid being very angry will holler hurtful things, and most often say something awful about a weakness of the other person. “You’re fat and stupid.” “Your mother’s ugly!” I think that sometimes when someone says something of an anti-Semitic nature about or toward another person, it is a cheap shot in trying to get a one-up-man ship status, or to be hurtful. While it isn’t right, I’m not so sure it is a truly anti-Semitic statement or feeling.

[DrSnuggles]

09:55 AM on 03/03/2011

Absolutely, on some level the term anti-semitic gets thrown around so much that for some I think it loses its meaning. For one thing, too often are people accused of anti-semitism for even the most moderate nazi reference (such as Prince Harry, who obviously acted in bad taste but it probably not a bigot) and I wonder if one day Mel Brooks' movies will be considered anti-semitic or Russ Meyers'.

The real problem with this, is the same when any important issue becomes even the slightest bit overblown - the people on the other side (since we are speaking of bigotry, other = wrong) achieve a little more leeway; at the very least in their own minds.

As a side note, the Julian Assange thing confuses me, he feels 'The Guardian' is in a conspiracy against him, and 'The Guardian' is the biggest competitor against the Rupert Murdoch media in Britain and 'Fox News' is Assange's biggest media detractor in the United States?

[stuoverit]

10:52 AM on 03/03/2011

While I'm certainly not anti-semetic, I don't understand how atheists outnumber American Jews by nearly 8-1 but can't have a quarter of the sway over the national discussion. I'm not implying there is a conspiracy at all, but it is stunning that non-believers account for over 16% of the US population and don't have any noticeable impact on foreign or domestic policy (yet).

[Windfish]

12:29 PM on 03/03/2011

16%? Talk about inflating your numbers.

[nlightenup]

01:51 PM on 03/03/2011

Jews have what you see as a disproportionate degree of influence because Jews put so much emphasis on making a personal contribution to the betterment of their communities and the world. It's been awhile since I've looked at the research, but last time I did, Jews were "disproportionately" accomplished in academics, business, public service, and science, winning acclaim and awards in much greater numbers than their percentage in the general population would suggest. If all other ethnic and/or religious groups put a similar emphasis on the importance of making a positive contribution to their fellows, we'd see numbers more in line with representations in the general population.

Disclaimer: I'm not now, and never have been, Jewish.

[MilesToGo]

04:06 PM on 03/02/2011

Good remarks, Rabbi. It's getting difficult today to discern true antisemitic remarks in the light of Zionism and Israeli politics. That is, one can identify with the truth and beauty of Judaism, while disparaging over what's happening in the Middle East between Palestinian Muslims & Christians and Israeli's and their IDF. Maybe one's faith doesn't always inform one's politics, but it's getting more difficult to intelligently separate the two.