Anti-Defamation League Defends Jay-Z — Sort Of
Everybody who is anybody (or, at the very least, Amy Schumer’s manager) is talking about whether or not Jay Z’s new album dabbles in anti-semitism with the lyrics “”You wanna know what’s more important than throwin’ away money at a strip club? Credit/ You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it.”
And now, the Anti-Defamation League is joining the debate.
The organization told Rolling Stone, “”We do not believe it was Jay-Z’s intent to promote anti-semitism. On the contrary, we know that Jay-Z is someone who has used his celebrity in the past to speak out responsibly and forcefully against the evils of racism and anti-semitism.”
But the ADL did express concern that the lyrics “could feed into preconceived notions about Jews and alleged Jewish ‘control’ of the banks and finance.”
Good intentions, poor execution. Seems like a fair assessment.
Becky Scott is the editor of The Schmooze. Follow her on Twitter at @arr_scott
