Was Charlie Kirk an Antisemite?

Sephardi Chief Rabbi, David Yosef (VIN)

One of the more curious phenomena I’ve noticed among my liberal friends is when they try to paint a staunch conservative supporter of Israel and fighter of antisemitism as an antisemite themselves.

This has happened many times to the president. I am not going to bother repeating the ‘evidence’ brought to try and substantiate that view of him. Needless to say, for anyone with an objective eye, no one has been more supportive of both Israel and an opponent of antisemitism than he has been.

The latest conservative victim of an accusation like that is the late Charlie Kirk. A quick Google search provided me with a list of such accusations, which basically amounted to criticisms I have made myself about the liberal nature of the majority of Jews in this country. Most of whom are either secular or heterodox. Whose knowledge of their own religion is about the same as my knowledge of quantum mechanics. Kirk’s point was generally that the majority of American Jews are their own worst enemies by providing huge financial support to institutions whose values have become inimical to Jewish survival. Even as they incorrectly believe the opposite to be true.

A clear example of such a Jew is Sally Kornbluth, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Asked by conservative Republican representative, Elise Stefanik at a congressional hearing whether ‘calling for the genocide of Jews’ would violate her school’s code of conduct, Kornbluth responded by saying it would depend on the context. And yet schools like MIT receive a great deal of funding from Jews like Kornbluth, who applaud her tolerance of speech calling for death to Jews as a matter of free speech!

(Interestingly Stefanik herself has been accused of antisemitism - but was honored by Yeshiva University for her staunch opposition to it.) 

Kirk was right about Jews being their own worst enemies. That hardly made him an antisemite. Because if it does, I guess that makes me one too, since I’ve said the same thing. I’ve even gone further and said that the worst antisemites in the world are the Jewish ones. Because they are used as by real antisemites as evidence that their virulent hatred of Zionist Israel is not antisemitic since so many Jews are now anti Zionist as well.

If Kirk was truly an antisemite, I doubt Israel’s prime minister would have said about Kirk the following:

A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” the Israeli prime minister wrote on X. “I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that visit will not take place.”

In that vein, VIN reports the following:

The Rishon Le’Zion and Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Yosef, sent a letter of condolence on Monday to the family of Charlie Kirk…

In his letter, the Chief Rabbi emphasized that Kirk always stood on the side of truth, justice, and the People of Israel, and even described him as an extraordinary figure whose modest yet firm approach influenced many.

Rabbi Yosef noted Kirk’s significant contribution to strengthening support for the State of Israel and combating antisemitism around the world, stating that the entire Jewish people share in the pain over the loss of such an important figure.

Is it possible that someone that DOES know a thing or two about Judaism, the Chief Rabbi of Israel just publicly praised an antisemite? I doubt it.

But that will not stop liberals around the world from trying to paint him that way. Just as they have with other conservative supporters of Israel and the Jewish people. Because to a liberal, it is impossible for a social conservative not to be a closet antisemite. Especially if they are religious Christians like Kirk.