Adolf Hitler Image by Getty Images

By Noa Wollstein August 24, 2020

A prominent journalist stirred up controversy Sunday night with a tweet comparing the United States’ racial past with Nazi Germany.

Jemele Hill of The Atlantic praised the new book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson, which compares the United States’ and Nazi Germany’s treatment of minorities. Hill’s tweet echoed the same comparison.

Been reading Isabel Wilkerson’s new book, “Caste,” and if you were of the opinion that the United States wasn’t nearly as bad as Nazi Germany, how wrong you are. Can’t encourage you enough to read this masterpiece.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) August 23, 2020

In response to criticism, Hill went on to write that the United States’ history of “racialized slavery” and “racial terrorism” served as inspiration for the Third Reich.

Historians have documented Nazi leaders’ interest in and appreciation of the American South’s race-based laws and social structures.

Some respondents accused Hill of making a false equivalency between recent events in the United States and Nazi tactics.

Just the basic fact that you have a huge platform/make a solid living shitting on the President and haven’t been locked in a labor camp says this is the complete opposite of nazi germany.

Grow up.

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) August 23, 2020

Other Twitter users countered this criticism, claiming that the United States is following the same trajectory as Germany in the mid-1930s, though not yet reaching the point of erecting death camps.

Talk show host Chip Franklin reinforced this point by tweeting out a call for examples of commonalities between Nazi Germany and the United States today. The post gained thousands of comments pointing out parallels, including unidentified security forces abducting protesters and officials’ attacks on the media.

The right is flipping their shit over the comparison of the US being similar to Nazi Germany.

Let’s prove a point.

Name something in common with the US now and early Nazi German, then pass it on.

— Chip Franklin (@chipfranklin) August 24, 2020

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount