ADL: Madoff scandal prompts wave of anti-Semitism online

League reports outpouring of anti-Jewish comments on mainstream and extremist websites dealing with scandal

Ynetnews |Published: 12.21.08 , 12:48

The recent arrest of Jewish businessman Bernard Madoff, whose alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme drained the finances of private investors, philanthropic foundations and banks, has prompted an outpouring of anti-Semitic comments on mainstream and extremist websites, the Anti-Defamation League reported Sunday.

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According to the ADL, the public comment sections of highly trafficked news sites, blogs, and financial message boards that have featured material on the scandal surrounding Bernard Madoff and his investment firm are filled with anti-Semitic comments, mostly from anonymous users.

Site users have posted comments ranging from deeply offensive stereotypical statements about Jews and money - with some suggesting that only Jews could perpetrate a fraud on such a scale - to conspiracy theories about Jews stealing money to benefit Israel. These and other anti-Jewish tropes have appeared on popular blogs devoted to finance, in comment sections of mainstream news outlets and in banter among users of Internet discussion groups.

“Jews are always a convenient scapegoat in times of crisis, but the Madoff scandal and the fact that so many of the defrauded investors are Jewish has created a perfect storm for the anti-Semites,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “Nowadays, the first place Jew-haters will go is to the Internet, where they can give voice to their hateful ideas without fear of repercussions.”

The League has posted on its website examples of the anti-Semitic postings appearing on mainstream news sites. ADL is also featuring selected anti-Jewish comments posted to white supremacist and extremist Web sites relating to the Madoff scandal.