Goebbels Gap

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The Goebbels Gap is an Internet adage defined as the amount of time between a negative event in the world and when someone blames it on the Jews. [1] Promulgated by the American writer Yair Rosenberg, then a senior writer at Tablet magazine, in 2019, it is seen as a proof point of seemingly every conspiracy eventually targeting the Jews. [1] It is named for Nazi chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels, who engineered the deeply virulent antisemitic propaganda of the Third Reich.

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Usage

Rosenberg has cited as examples of the Goebbels Gap the 10 day period between the September 11 attacks and when antisemitic conspiracy theories began to emerge of Israel's culpability in the attacks, [1] and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani claiming Israel supported the Islamic State in 2019. [2] It has also been cited in reference to claims, including by white supremacist David Duke, Turkish politician Fatih Erbakan, [3] and academic As'ad AbuKhalil, that Israel or "Zionists" were behind the COVID-19 virus. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Carwana, Brian (26 January 2022). "Holocaust Remembrance Day & How Antisemitism Threatens Democracy". Religions Geek. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  2. Rosenberg, Yair (2 October 2019). "Iran's President Claimed Israel Supports ISIS on National TV and No One Noticed". Substack. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  3. "Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom (Turkey)". International Religious Freedom Reports. U.S. State Department . Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. Quintero, Faith (2020-03-26). "Blurring support for Israel by helping those who wish to destroy it". Arutz Sheva . Retrieved 5 July 2023.