No, There’s Nothing 'Jewy' About Harvey Weinstein’s Predatory Behavior

Tablet has published an apology for the article. (Photo: Tablet)
Tablet has published an apology for the article. (Photo: Tablet)

Accusations of sexual assault and rape against Harvey Weinstein have sparked intense public discourse around abuse and misogyny in the entertainment industry ― and beyond.

Several white supremacists and even one prominent Jewish magazine, though, have latched onto Weinstein’s Jewish identity as somehow explaining his abusive behavior towards women.

White supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke called the allegations “a case study in the corrosive nature of Jewish domination of our media and cultural industries” ― rehashing a common anti-Semitic trope of Jewish media control.

“It’s really shocking to think that this Jewish pervert could be revealed to be a Jewish pervert,” Duke said sarcastically in a podcast posted on his website.

Andrew Anglin, who founded the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website, similarly wrote in a blog post that the media was just awakening to “the revelation that the perverted Jew Harvey Weinstein is in fact a Jewish pervert.”

Interwoven with comments about raping and killing women, Anglin wrote: “The Jews have made our nation into the global center of filth that they made Germany into in the 20s. ... It isn’t going to end well for them this time either.”

An article posted on AltRight.com, a website launched by white supremacist Richard Spencer, also used the scandal to make a larger statement about Jewish people.

“It’s easy now to scapegoat just one degenerate Jew in the hopes of the goyim not noticing the massive hive of degenerate Jews at the heart of Hollywood,” wrote blogger Vincent Law.

White supremacists also gleefully pointed to an article published in Jewish magazine Tablet by the outlet’s editor-at-large, Mark Oppenheimer, titled “The Specifically Jewy Perviness of Harvey Weinstein.”

In the article, Oppenheimer called the film executive “a deeply Jewish kind of pervert” and attempted to explain his reasoning using a 1969 novel by Philip Roth, which sparked controversy at the time of its publishing over its use of graphic sexuality to perpetuate anti-Semitic stereotypes.

Oppenheimer claimed Weinstein’s predatory behavior was different from that of non-Jewish men ― because he’s Jewish. He wrote:

Harvey did something unique—no less odious, but different. Harvey performed. As we now are hearing (whether we want to or not), he allegedly made a woman watch as he masturbated into a potted plant. And if you want to understand this bizarre behavior, don’t look to Roger Ailes, or David Vitter, or Paul Crouch—look to Philip Roth.

Better than perhaps any other author, Roth captured the particular anxiety of the Jewish American man in the twentieth century, finally coming into power but, having not grown up with it, unsure of what he’s supposed to do now. All those years craving unattainable Gentiles, but never before the means to entice them. The result is Alexander Portnoy of Portnoy’s Complaint, a grown man whose emotional and sexual life is still all one big performance piece, just as it had been when he was a teenager and pleasured himself with a piece of liver.

Oppenheimer also claimed that many of Weinstein’s accusers are non-Jews in an attempt to prove his point.

The writer later published an apology on Tablet, calling his original article “hasty and ill-considered.”

Multiple other Jewish outlets criticized Oppenheimer and Tablet for publishing the article in the first place and for playing into anti-Semitism.

“Oppenheimer’s analysis of Weinstein’s behavior in context of Roth’s once-scandalous fiction about the repressions involved in a specific type of Jewish American masculinity is profoundly wrongheaded,” wrote Forward’s deputy culture editor Talya Zax.

“Harvey Weinstein is a real living human, and his alleged sexual offenses were committed against real living women,” Zax wrote. “Interpreting those actions as an interesting living enactment of the ideas in a novel negates their maliciousness, their abusiveness, and the devastating consequences for their alleged victims.”

An article published on The Canadian Jewish News by two anti-Semitism experts said Oppenheimer and Tablet aren’t excused from being called out for bigotry.

“Oppenheimer’s commentary invokes some of the worst tropes in anti-Semitic propaganda – of the Jew raping Gentile women,” the authors wrote.

They continued: “Anti-Semitism remains a stain on our society, and it doesn’t take much to light the spark of Jew hatred. And while it may be harder to call it out when the weapon is a Jewish literary analysis rather than a spray-painted swastika on a synagogue wall, we must. A Jewish author writing in a so-called Jewish publication provides no cover, nor should it.”

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Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html" target="_blank">told the New York Times</a>&nbsp;that Harvey Weinstein&nbsp;invited her to his hotel room and asked her if&nbsp;he could give her a massage or if she wanted to watch him shower.&nbsp;<br /><br />She told the Times that she thought, &ldquo;How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?&rdquo;&nbsp;

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/us/gwyneth-paltrow-angelina-jolie-harvey-weinstein.html" target="_blank">told the New York Times that</a>&nbsp;Weinstein touched her inappropriately.&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,&rdquo; she said, noting that when Weinstein found out she told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt, "I thought he was going to fire me."

Angelina Jolie

&ldquo;I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did,&rdquo; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/us/gwyneth-paltrow-angelina-jolie-harvey-weinstein.html" target="_blank">Angelina Jolie told the New York Times.</a>&nbsp;&ldquo;This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.&rdquo;

Kate Winslet

<a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/news/kate-winslet-harvey-weinstein-allegations-sexual-harassment-scandal-1202584733/" target="_blank">Kate Winslet&nbsp;told Variety that</a> she had heard rumors of Weinstein's behavior for years.<br /><br />"I had hoped that these kind of stories were just made up rumours, maybe we have all been na&iuml;ve," she said. "And it makes me so angry. There must be &lsquo;no tolerance&rsquo; of this degrading, vile treatment of women in ANY workplace anywhere in the world.&rdquo;

Meryl Streep

<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/meryl-streep-harvey-weinstein_us_59db5d87e4b072637c45420e">Meryl Streep told HuffPost</a> that the women who came forward about Weinstein's behavior&nbsp;are "heroes."<br /><br />&ldquo;The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported," she said in a statement.&nbsp;

Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan has been vocal about the scandal since the New York Times published its bombshell report on Weinstein's alleged misconduct. McGowan, the Times said,&nbsp;was one of several women&nbsp;with whom Weinstein reached a financial settlement following the alleged abuse.&nbsp;<br /><br />After The Weinstein Company fired Harvey, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rose-mcgowan-weinstein-board_us_59db2ee0e4b046f5ad994249?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067">the actress and director called on</a>&nbsp;the rest of the studio's board to resign.<br /><br />"They knew," she said in a tweet. "They funded. They advised. They covered up. They must be exposed. They must resign."

Ben Affleck

"I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades," <a href="https://twitter.com/BenAffleck/status/917787533802655744" target="_blank">Ben Affleck posted on Twitter.</a>&nbsp;"The additional allegations of assault that I read this morning made me sick."<br /><br />Actress Rose McGowan&nbsp;denounced Affleck for implying that he didn't know of the abuse before this week, saying that&nbsp;the pair had previously discussed Weinstein's treatment of her.<br /><br />"You lie," <a href="https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/917848581540757504" target="_blank">she&nbsp;tweeted.</a>

Lena Dunham

'Girls' co-creator and star Lena Dunham <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/opinion/harvey-weinstein-lena-dunham-silence-.html" target="_blank">penned an op-ed for the New York Times</a> calling on more men to speak out against Weinstein and others like him.&nbsp;<br /><br />"Abuse, threats and coercion have been the norm for so many women trying to do business or make art," she wrote. "Mr. Weinstein may be the most powerful man in Hollywood to be revealed as a predator, but he&rsquo;s certainly not the only one who has been allowed to run wild. His behavior, silently co-signed for decades by employees and collaborators, is a microcosm of what has been happening in Hollywood since always and of what workplace harassment looks like for women everywhere."

George Clooney

In an interview with The Daily Beast, <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/george-clooney-speaks-out-on-harvey-weinstein-its-disturbing-on-a-whole-lot-of-levels" target="_blank">George Clooney said that</a>, for decades, he'd heard rumors about Weinstein, but dismissed them as&nbsp;gossip. Calling Weinstein's behavior "disturbing" and "indefensible," Clooney said he had no idea&nbsp;of the severity of the accusations.&nbsp;<br /><br />"A good bunch of people that I know would say, &ldquo;Yeah, Harvey&rsquo;s a dog&rdquo; or &ldquo;Harvey&rsquo;s chasing girls,&rdquo; but again, this is a very different kind of thing," the actor told the Daily Beast. "This is harassment on a very high level. And there&rsquo;s an argument that everyone is complicit in it. I suppose the argument would be that it&rsquo;s not just about Hollywood, but about all of us&mdash;that every time you see someone using their power and influence to take advantage of someone without power and influence and you&nbsp;<i>don&rsquo;t</i>&nbsp;speak up, you&rsquo;re complicit. And there&rsquo;s no question about that."

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence&nbsp;won an Academy Award for "Silver Linings Playbook," which The Weinstein Company distributed. She called the alleged harassment "inexcusable and absolutely upsetting."<br /><br />"I worked with Harvey five years ago, and I did not experience any form of harassment personally, nor did I know about any of these allegations. This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting," <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/jennifer-lawrence-harvey-weinstein-allegations" target="_blank">Lawrence said in a statement.</a>&nbsp;"My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward."

Hillary Clinton

Weinstein was a major Democratic Party benefactor, having donated to or raised money for a host of candidates, including Hillary Clinton.<br /><br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/10/politics/hillary-clinton-harvey-weinstein/index.html" target="_blank">Clinton said that she</a> "was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein. The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior."

Barack and Michelle Obama

<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/09/politics/clinton-obama-weinstein/index.html" target="_blank">Weinstein visited the White House</a> multiple times while Obama was in office after having raised huge funds&nbsp;for his presidential campaign. Earlier this year, Malia Obama&nbsp;also reportedly worked for the Weinstein Company.<br /> <br />"Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein," <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/10/politics/hillary-clinton-harvey-weinstein/index.html" target="_blank">the Obamas said in a statement</a>. "Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture -- including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect -- so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future."

Judi Dench

Judi Dench, who won an Oscar for her performance in the Weinstein-backed "Shakespeare in Love" and was nominated for two other films under his wing, denounced the alleged abuse.<br /><br />"Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offenses which are, of course, horrifying and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and whole-hearted support to those who have spoken out," <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/judi-dench-says-she-was-completely-unaware-harvey-weinstein-accusations-1047040" target="_blank">she said in a statement.</a>

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio worked with Weinstein on&nbsp;blockbuster films like &ldquo;Gangs of New York,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Aviator,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Django Unchained.&rdquo;<br /><br />"There is no excuse for sexual harrassment or sexual assault-- no matter who you are and no matter what profession," <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/posts/10154810955527116" target="_blank">DiCarpio&nbsp;said in a Facebook Post.</a>&nbsp;"I applaud the strength and courage of the women who came forward and made their voices heard."

Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain has been one of the most outspoken critics of Weinstein and of Hollywood's complicity since The New York Times published its damning report.<br /><br />"I was warned from the beginning" about Weinstein, <a href="https://twitter.com/jes_chastain/status/917504541708443650" target="_blank">she said in a tweet. </a>"The stories were everywhere. To deny that is to create an environment for it to happen again."

Julianne Moore

Moore, who starred in the Weinstein-backed film "A Single Man," <a href="https://twitter.com/_juliannemoore/status/917400026120323072" target="_blank">tweeted that</a> "coming forward about sexual abuse and coercion is scary and women have nothing to be gained personally by doing so.&nbsp; But through their bravery we move forward as a culture, and I thank them. Stand with <a href="https://twitter.com/AshleyJudd" data-mentioned-user-id="248747209">@<strong>AshleyJudd</strong></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan" data-mentioned-user-id="46233559">@<strong>rosemcgowan</strong></a> and others."

Colin Firth

Calling&nbsp;Weinstein a&nbsp;"frightening man to stand up to," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/10/colin-firth-harvey-weinstein-kings-speech-sexual-harassment-claims" target="_blank">Colin Firth&nbsp;told The Guardian that</a>&nbsp;reading about the allegations gave him "a feeling of nausea." <br /><br />&ldquo;It must have been terrifying for these women to step up and call him out. And horrifying to be subjected to that kind of harassment. I applaud their courage."

Tamron Hall

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a woman&rsquo;s worst nightmare to be in a situation where you believe someone more powerful has control over your life,&rdquo; former "Today" show host Tamron Hall&nbsp;<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tamron-hall-weinstein-reaction_us_59dd4e95e4b0b26332e7acd6">told HuffPost</a>. She called the allegations against Weinstein "horrifying."

Blake Lively

Blake Lively spoke out against Weinstein in an interview with <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/blake-lively-addresses-harvey-weinstein-allegations-devastating-hear-1047599" target="_blank">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.&nbsp;<br /><br />The actress said that she was unaware of the abuse but admitted that "it's devastating to hear."&nbsp;<br /><br />"It's important that women are furious right now. It's important that there is an uprising. It's important that we don't stand for this and that we don't focus on one or two or three or four stories. It's important that we focus on humanity in general and say, 'This is unacceptable.'"

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts gave a statement to <a href="http://people.com/movies/julia-roberts-women-harvey-weinstein/" target="_blank">People</a>, saying, &ldquo;A corrupt, powerful man wields his influence to abuse and manipulate&nbsp;women. We&rsquo;ve heard this infuriating, heartbreaking story countless times before. And now here we go&nbsp;again. I stand firm in the hope that we will finally come together as a&nbsp;society to stand up against this kind of predatory behavior, to help&nbsp;victims find their voices and their healing, and to stop it once and for&nbsp;all."

Ryan Gosling

&ldquo;I want to add my voice of support for the women who have had the courage to speak out against Harvey Weinstein,&rdquo; Gosling <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ryan-gosling-on-weinstein-he-is-emblematic-of-a-systemic-problem_us_59dfb2b8e4b0a52aca1672b6" target="_blank">wrote in a note on Twitter</a>. &ldquo;Like most people in Hollywood, I have worked with him and I&rsquo;m deeply disappointed in myself for being so oblivious to these devastating experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. He is emblematic of a systemic problem. Men should stand with women and work together until there is real accountability and change.&rdquo;

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.