Pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid recently spoke out against antisemitism amid the fallout from Kanye West's comments about the Jewish community.
The rapper and fashion designer, who legally changed his name to Ye, sparked controversy after he appeared at his Yeezy brand fashion show in Paris wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words "White Lives Matter," a slogan commonly employed by white supremacists as well as general opponents of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Amid the backlash, West shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a text message exchange with Sean "Diddy" Combs, in which he responded to the rap mogul's objection to his stunt by stating that he would "show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me."
After West's since-removed post led to his Instagram account being restricted last week, the musician took his message to Twitter.
"I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE," West posted in a tweet that is no longer available. "The funny thing is I actually can't be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda."
West, who shares four children with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, appeared to use "death con 3" in reference to the U.S. military defense alert state known as DEFCON. West was subsequently locked out of his Twitter account for violating the platform's policies.
Hadid, who turned 26 on Saturday, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a statement in which she condemned antisemitism while not directly naming West.
"To say that for the past two days it hasn't been hard to celebrate my birthday or to not think of the things that have been [posted] on the street or said on public platforms, I would be lying," said Hadid, whose father, Mohamed Hadid is of Palestinian origin.
"To allow any form of anti-semitism to slip by, as desensitized as the world has become, it would be a disservice to my friends, the families I have grown up with, the people I love and work with, myself, and even the Palestinian cause as a whole," she continued. "Because what we stand for is NOT hatred or violence."
"I will continue to be a voice for the innocently targeted no matter who you are or where you come from," Hadid continued. "With that being said, this is NOT okay. Anti-semitism, or targeting any innocent Jewish person, anywhere, will never be okay."
"I can't stress how important it is for my following to hear this loud and clear: It is a scary place to live in where discrimination, of death wishes are something of our everyday. It is scary that most people would swipe past something so horrendous and unknowingly go on with their life, completely unaware of how it could affect another human being," Hadid wrote.
"But there is a point where we all have to speak up. No matter what. If you feel something is wrong in your heart. Speak up. There are people that I love in this world, people that happen to be Jewish that feel scared by the words that have been used. They feel targeted, they feel uneasy, and they feel confused."
"There is generational trauma resurfacing," Hadid, who has spoken out in support of Palestinians amid tensions in the region, went on. "Generational trauma of their ancestors being tortured and taken. There is self-doubt. There are triggers, and I am here to say that if you see something, say something.
"To my Jewish loved ones, the Jewish communities worldwide, I am here to say that you belong, you are worthy and your right as a human being is to be ALIVE. Just the same as any other race, religion, shape or size. No one can choose where they come from, what is in their blood, or who they are. And no one should be judged for the things they cannot control.
"Again, to my followers, if you see ANYONE saying something anti-semitic, or being hostile to anyone who might be different from them, call them out. If they are acting on hate, call them out. Every. Time. Let them know there is no room for that kind of behavior in this world," wrote Hadid, whose sister, Gigi Hadid, has also condemned West for his recent comments.
"To separate us would be the biggest downfall of all. We need to stand together always. The same way I expect hatred against 'my' people, 'your' people, or 'their' people to be denounced, I will time and time again denounce ALL anti-semitism, worldwide."
West has been widely condemned for his antisemitic views, which were also espoused during his recent controversial interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson.
U.S.-born British comedian David Baddiel, author of Jews Don't Count, told Newsweek on Tuesday that he was encouraged by the strong reaction to West's comments from those who are not Jewish.
"I thought the general reaction to Kanye's tweet was in a small way heartening," Baddiel said. "My position as the writer of Jews Don't Count is that in general the progressive community don't see offence against Jews as worthy of reaction to quite the same level as that against other minorities, and that is partly because of a notion—exampled in Kanye's tweet—that Jews are powerful and privileged and not in need of the protections afforded other minorities in the modern world of identity politics.
"Kanye's tweet was standard in that he clearly saw himself not as being racist but punching up, as people often do attacking Jews, with talk of global agendas and trying to control etc etc. But I think the dial is shifting on this a bit, and I was cheered that many people including Black Twitter weighed in against him in a way that was more reactive against antisemitism than perhaps used to be the case."
Newsweek has reached out to West's representative for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
