Israeli innovation in the face of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and antisemitism | Timesofisrael

One story that grabbed a little international attention this past week was about a study on conspiracy theories out of Oxford University. While NPR reported how three in five believe their government is misleading them and one in five think the virus is a hoax, Newsweek and Daily Express (and the Jewish press) dug in a bit more, reported that one in five Brits believe that Jews created COVID-19. Even without quantifying what is going on in England, we know antisemitism in the U.S. is the highest ever on record and is growing everywhere, as are conspiracy theories. On Tuesday, PBS will be airing a new documentary, Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations, which likens the spread of antisemitism to that of an illness. All I know is that the intersection between antisemitism and the growth of COVID-19 conspiracy theories is worrisome. As The Oxford study showed, people who believe in these theories tend not to observe social distancing or wear masks. As the virus spreads, so will their antipathy towards whomever they blame.