Candace Owens crowned 'Antisemite of the Year' by watchdog group
A watchdog group crowned Candace Owens as the 2024 "Antisemite of the Year," highlighting the political pundit's remarks about the Holocaust, Israel and the Jewish community.
StopAntisemitism, a grassroots organization that exposes groups or individuals who they say spread hatred of the Jewish people and Israel, holds an annual poll to determine who gets the "distinct dishonor" of "Antisemite of the Year."
This week, the group announced on social media that Owens won the award via a poll with over 30,000 votes. Other contenders for the award included environmental activist Greta Thunberg and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Once celebrated for her unapologetic takes that catapulted her into the conservative spotlight, Owens was given platforms by prominent Jewish conservatives like Dennis Prager and Ben Shapiro," the group stated.
"But after Hamas' October 7th massacre, she revealed her shocking antisemitism, leading to her departure from Shapiro's Daily Wire and condemnation from PragerU."
The 35-year-old commentator reacted to the announcement during a Monday episode of her new podcast "Candace." Owens denied holding anti-Jewish beliefs, asserting that the "pro-Israel lobby" is using the accusation of antisemitism to silence debate.
She likened pro-Israel organizations to the activist group Black Lives Matter, which she believes accuses people of white supremacy to "amass power" rather than combat racism.
"We're doing the exact same thing again with antisemitism, and it's so weird because you have people that are supposed to be brilliant who should work through that this isn't going to work socially," said Owens.
"It's not landing; people are getting tired," she added. "You can't just keep calling everyone Adolf Hitler; you're taking the sting out of Adolf Hitler. People are now making jokes about Adolf Hitler because you just refer to every person that you have a disagreement with as the spawn of Hitler."
Owens and The Daily Wire publicly parted ways earlier this year following a series of remarks from Owens that many condemned as antisemitic. Owens had accused Israel of genocide for its response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel.
She also claimed that Israel enforces "Jim Crow" policies by forcing Muslims to live in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter. However, Israel doesn't force Muslims to live there, and it also has a Christian Quarter and a Jewish Quarter.
The conservative outlet and Owens went their separate ways shortly after the pundit liked a tweet in March asking if author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach was "drunk on Christian blood," an antisemitic stereotype.
After she departed from The Daily Wire, Owens continued to attract controversy for her statements about Israel and the Jewish community, which resulted in Australia and later New Zealand denying entry to the pundit.
Australian officials cited remarks Owens made in a July podcast, in which she referred to reports of Nazi experiments on Jews as "bizarre propaganda."
In response to Owens' remarks, Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president of the nonprofit Proclaiming Justice to The Nations, urged churches to cut ties with Owens.
"Candace Owens has verged into the abyss of blind Jew-hatred, rooted in the sewers of historical Christian antisemitism, which led to the death of millions of Jews in the name of Christianity," Cardoza-Moore said in a statement last month.
"It's time that churches close the doors on Candace. The Candace Owens we once knew is no longer there," Cardoza-Moore continued. "She has no substance beyond her repugnant, unfounded, and obsessive hate for God's Chosen People. There is no place for her anywhere in the Conservative Christian world."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
