Jewish Communities Must Confront Bullies Amidst Antisemitism in Top Podcasts

Joe Rogan, the host of the globe’s leading podcast, had Ian Carroll as his guest this week.

Carroll, a notorious conspiracy theorist, is infamous for claims like “the Jews orchestrated 9/11,” and he entertained Rogan with outlandish stories about how Jeffrey Epstein was actually a Mossad agent dispatched by the cunning Israeli government to trap America’s unwary elite.

Not to be outdone, Theo Von, another popular podcaster, spent this week’s episode in conversation with Candace Owens, who poignantly inquired if Von had ever observed how the Jewish community tends to look after its own.

Other instances are plentiful.

Everywhere you turn today, there are numerous influencers achieving fame and wealth by portraying themselves as fearless truth-tellers, unafraid to criticize the purportedly dominant and malicious Jews.

Despite these statements being freely made on some of the most viewed platforms globally, the joy for these self-involved paranoids remains intact: they believe that Jews are consistently conspiring against them and everyone else.

And millions of followers seem to buy into this nonsense as well: Having dismissed the woke left, the woke right has now identified the Jews as the adversaries that must be overcome.

Thus, it’s no surprise that Jewish communities everywhere this week hastened to inquire what could be done about this rising tide of antisemitism from the right.

Fortunately, the solution is straightforward.

It’s something most of us understood back in middle school and requires no special resources.

Want to combat antisemitism?

Here’s the path forward.

First, instead of holding up images of hostages and demanding global compassion for their brutal captivity and slaughter, recognize this: The world is indifferent.

It always has been, and always will be.

When you plead for pity, you merely appear weak.

This is where the life lessons we gain in high school become relevant: Bullies thrive on weakness, as tormenting the weak guarantees them the emotional reaction they desire.

The sole way to escape this cycle of humiliation is by being strong.

Regrettably, during the past 500 days, Jews have struggled to embody that strength.

In the United States, Jews held somber vigils for the hostages, echoing Holocaust-era rhetoric.

None, regrettably, entertained the thought of organizing a march to celebrate the downfall of mass murderers like Hassan Nasrallah or Yahya Sinwar, let alone sending a group of strong young men onto Columbia’s campus to deliver a firm message that Hamas camps must cease immediately.

Such actions would have conveyed an unmistakable message to the bullies: Jews should not be trifled with.

This, of course, embodies the essence of Zionism.

A robust and sovereign Jewish nation stands as the ultimate resolution to the world’s indifference: We don’t need the world’s compassion when we possess strength.

However, the tragic reality of the last year and a half has been the Israeli government’s failure to respond decisively and act as a strong, sovereign Jewish state should.

While securing some tactical gains (see: Airstrikes, successful), Israel insisted, quite rightfully, that a hostile Democratic administration was restraining its actions at every turn.

The election of Donald Trump brought a change, as the new president articulated clearly what needed to happen in Gaza.

Yet, instead of taking swift action, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent envoys to explain timidly why Trump’s plan was impractical, and continued to waver over the subsequent steps regarding the ceasefire with Hamas.

Meanwhile, Trump was warning of catastrophic consequences should all captives not be released at once.

Even with an unprecedented commitment from the Oval Office, Israel failed to act decisively.

This encapsulates weakness.

When the antisemitic extremists observed the supposedly formidable Israeli state falter and hesitate, they recognized their opportunity.

Where does this leave us now?

Fortunately, in a promising position.

If you genuinely wish to combat antisemitism, stop lamenting over Joe Rogan, or Columbia University, or the left, or the right, or anyone else.

Cease begging the world to empathize or feel pity for you.

Stop making any excuse to seem agreeable while your adversaries continue to undermine you.

In essence: Stop exhibiting weakness.

Depart from negative institutions, ineffective leaders, and detrimental habits, and dedicate your time to engaging in uplifting, constructive Jewish actions: Increase Jewish families.

Deepen your understanding of Torah.

Establish new Jewish institutions.

Become stronger in body and spirit.

And when you achieve that, take a moment to look around: You might be surprised to find that the troublemakers who preyed on your vulnerability have vanished.

Liel Leibovitz is editor at large for Tablet and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.