Don’t Cry For Me, Charlie Kirk

The Jewish Love Affair with Charlie Kirk, Antisemite

A few nights ago, I attended what was supposed to be a lecture on re-awakening Jewish values in a modern Zionist state, but it actually was a fund-raiser for the speaker. In the course of his 45 minute rambling he mentioned Charlie Kirk at least 10 times and declared that he cried when he heard that Kirk was assassinated!

Was Charlie Kirk an antisemite?

It’s a complicated question, and whether Charlie Kirk was “an antisemite” depends a lot on how one defines that term and weighs his statements. There is evidence that many people have accused him of using antisemitic tropes, while Kirk himself has denied antisemitism and points to his strong pro-Israel positions. I’ll lay out both sides so you can see the arguments. 

Evidence of Charlie Kirk’s antisemitic remarks:

• on October 2023, he said on The Charlie Kirk Show that “Jewish donors have been the Number 1 funding mechanism of radical, open border, neoliberal, quasi-Marxist policies … This is a beast created by secular Jews, and now it’s coming for Jews.” Media Matters
• He also claimed that those same Jewish donors “control not just the colleges; it’s the nonprofits, it’s the movies, it’s Hollywood, it’s all of it.” Media Matters

Another statement: that certain Jewish philanthropy is “subsidizing your own demise by supporting institutions that breed Antisemites and endorse genocidal killers.” TRT Global

These sorts of comments echo classic antisemitic tropes — e.g. that Jewish people or donors secretly control institutions, or are behind cultural or political decay. Many observers, including advocacy groups and news outlets, have flagged those remarks as fitting the pattern of antisemitic content. The Forward

Evidence that Kirk denied being antisemitic and emphasized support for Jewish people and Israel

On the other hand, Kirk has made several statements in defense of his intentions and portraying himself as an ally:

He has repeatedly said he’s a strong supporter of Israel, has visited the country, and frames himself as someone who defends and respects Jewish people.

• For instance, in 2025 he posted, “No non-Jewish person my age has a longer or clearer record of support for Israel, sympathy with the Jewish people, or opposition to antisemitism than I do.”

He’s also used condemnatory language for antisemitism: “Jew hate has no place in civil society. It rots the brain, reject it.”

“Context” & Nuance

• Part of the debate is whether Kirk’s remarks are intended (or reasonably interpreted) as criticism of Jewish people as a whole vs. criticism of certain Jewish donors or institutions. Criticism of a specific donor or policy is not, in itself, antisemitic; but many critics argue some of his remarks go beyond that and promote harmful stereotypes.
• Terms like “cultural Marxism” have been identified by many observers as conspiratorial tropes that often carry antisemitic connotations, because historically “cultural Marxism” in conspiracy theories is used in ways that echo older antisemitic conspiracies.

There is also the factor of how statements are received: even if not intended to be antisemitic, many people see certain of his statements as crossing a line. Public figures who make remarks like “Jews control Hollywood, institutions, etc.” are often criticized because of the history of such statements fuel antisemitism.Over the last few years and especially since October 7th, anything anti-Israel is viewed as antisemitism. Prior to October 7th it was somewhat acceptable to be anti-Israel and not necessarily antisemitic. Charlie Kirk managed to turn this on its head. He was pro-Israel with a fundamental antisemitic world view. In 1937, Adolph Eichmann secretly came to Mandatory Palestine to determine whether the Jews should be deported from Germany to Palestine. In today’s world, Eichmann would be posting on social media that he is Pro Israel in search of a safe haven for Jews.

In 1902, J.P Morgan told a rival “if you have to ask, then you can’t afford it”.

In 2025, I say that “if you have to ask if a person is an antisemite, then he most likely is”.