It’s about the Jews, not Israel

Everyone responsible for the massive torrent of Jew hatred that’s been unleashed since October 7, 2023, would like the world to believe that it all started with the Jewish nation of Israel.

But American rapper, Macklemore finally dismissed that useful pretext, the moment he got on stage, wearing the worst stereotypical exaggerated facial caricature of the ugly Jew, together with a black suit, during his May 2014 performance in Seattle’s Experience Music Project Museum.

Because that event happened 9 years before the dreadful massacre, not too many paid attention to the ill-advised costume that drew the ire of the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), necessitating his apology for the obvious poor judgment he exercised, despite his attempt to cover it up by saying the long, large facial protrusion was meant to be a “fake witches” nose.  

But when connecting that tasteless display to his latest September 4, 5 and 6 performances, as he opened for English songwriter, Ed Sheeran at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, dressed in a keffiyeh and shouting the phrase, “Free Palestine,” there can be no doubt that this is not about Israel, but about the Jews.

In my Jerusalem Post article, entitled, “Would Jews be liked more if Israel didn’t exist, published on September 14, I made the case that given the troubling history of the Jewish people, riddled with centuries of persecution, expulsions and mass killing, it’s impossible to argue that the modern-day Jewish state of Israel has been the catalyst for the brutal massacre executed by Hamas terrorists.

While Woke ideologists do their best to explain that what occurred, in Israel, was 75 years of built-up of rage, resulting from “occupying Palestinian land,” what excuse can they manufacture to justify 2,000 years of hatred towards the Jewish people by nearly every country that grudgingly hosted them? 

The Israel cover story, that conveniently uses the geographic homeland, promised to the Jews, as the actual source of the conflict, has become the best disguise antisemites could have ever wished for. Providing them with a fictitious “territorial dispute” claim, authentic Jew haters needn’t fear the truth coming out about how they really feel. 

That’s why also using the term “Zionists,” helps to camouflage their actual intent, because it’s still not entirely acceptable to openly present oneself as an individual who disparages an entire ethnicity. 

But when the veil is so transparent, it’s difficult to properly hide what is obvious to all.  After 2,000 years of the worst treatment known to man, Jews are still viewed, in the year 2026, as loathsome to an ever-growing segment of society.

In his desire to garner attention and expand his popularity, Macklemore has foolishly shown us that there is a significant market for the trendy hate mongering that he’s pushing.  After all, the notoriety he’s gotten from this latest highly-offensive stunt, probably makes him think it was worth the bad publicity to further boost his career.

But at least one person had the good sense to recognize his words for what they represent – a pathetic effort to display his loyalty to the lockstep crowd, whose affections he hopes to garner by using his platform to ramp up their cause du jour. 

New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, has chosen to bar the rapper from performing at his venue, for the remainder of the scheduled performances during Sheeran's U.S. "Loop Tour," stating that “the decision came after Macklemore made pro-Palestinian remarks on stage and pointed to concerns regarding a history of rhetoric considered hurtful to the Jewish community.”

Kraft went on to “emphasize that the venue is committed to a welcoming environment and that the performance would cross the line into promoting divisiveness.”

In response, Macklemore “released a lengthy Instagram statement detailing that Ed Sheeran informed him of Kraft's decision to ban him from Gillette Stadium. According to the rapper, Kraft also rallied multiple other NFL stadium owners to issue a collective ultimatum: remove Macklemore, or lose access to the venues entirely.”

But it wasn’t Kraft alone who made the courageous decision to ban Macklemore.  The performer’s own tour promoter, Messina Touring Group, admitted that other locales were also unwilling to host the provocateur, knowing how his presence could potentially enflame the situation all the more. 

Yet, that was the calculated risk taken by the rapper, who went for broke when betting on the fact that he could get away with the same vilification that was used by previous entertainers, including the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap who, back in November 2024 and February 2025, led chants of “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah” while draped in a Hezbollah flag, during their London performance.

Repeating that hateful sentiment, Kneecap lead singer, Mo Charra, yet again, projected pro-Palestinian and anti US messages, while donning the mandatory keffiyeh, causing a backlash and calls to revoke their US visas.

What is apparent is that many of today’s trendy singers feel the need to incorporate the “Free Palestine” slogan into some part of their performances, almost as if they’ve come to the conclusion that it’s expected of them.

They justify this concert “add-on” by saying it raises awareness that Israel is a colonialist entity who brought on the well-deserved October 7 Hamas massacre, an attack executed by “freedom fighters,” who seized on the opportunity to make a revolutionary move in the struggle against an evil occupation that had to be stopped.

Of course, that explanation sounds so much more plausible and civilized rather than the real message of intolerance for all Jews who are now being cast as an extension of the Jewish homeland, whether true or not.

When it comes down to it, the only way to indoctrinate the public, at large, against all Jews, is to paint them as ugly, disloyal characters who are unworthy of being viewed as good citizens, representing their respective countries of birth. 

And what better place to do that than a venue which draws impressionable young people, whose self-confidence is tied to the compliance demanded by their admired peers?

Although there is a price to pay for such disgraceful defiance, the pro-Palestinian crowd is banking on the passage of enough time and repeated rhetoric to normalize their message, at which time they will be able to finally reveal the authentic rot that is in their heart, calling it by its rightful name – Jew hatred!