Candace Owens and The Sin of Antisemitism

George Weigel recently reflected on the historical legacy of Sir Moses Montefiore while addressing the conduct of podcaster Candace Owens.

Writing for The Tablet, Weigel noted that Montefiore, an Italian born businessman, used his wealth and influence to defend Jewish rights throughout the 19th century. Montefiore secured the release of Jews falsely accused of blood libel in Damascus from the Sultan of Egypt in 1840 and convinced the Ottoman Sultan to grant Jews equal rights to other non-Muslims. He also worked to reduce the persecution of Russian Jews under Czar Nicholas I in 1844.

Weigel contrasted Montefiore's philanthropic efforts and his ability to handle bigotry with the modern influence of Candace Owens, who averages 3.5 million downloads and views per episode.