We trusted HONY. Then he platformed a blood libel

For years, I was Brandon Stanton’s biggest fan.

I gave monthly to his Patreon. I bought every book. I supported every cause. Humans of New York (HONY) wasn’t just a social media account — it was a reminder that empathy could still win online. That stories could soften hearts. That someone out there still believed in the power of human dignity.

But earlier today, Brandon shattered that faith — by platforming a modern blood libel to 30 million followers.

Let’s let his chosen subject speak for himself. The post features a member of the Neturei Karta, a fringe ultra-Orthodox sect, saying: “People no longer accept this as being self-defense. Killing masses of little children, people don’t accept it anymore. During the Holocaust, our grandparents would have been delighted if people in the free world had stood up for them.”

And then: “What is happening in Gaza has nothing to do with the Jewish people, has nothing to do with the Jewish religion. This is a group of people claiming to represent Jews, while at the same time committing all these crimes in violation of Judaism. So I speak up today, not only for the oppressed and misrepresented people of Palestine. But I also speak up for the Jewish people — the masses of Jewish people worldwide who are embarrassed and appalled by what is being done in their name.”

It is a masterclass in blood libel. Jews are framed as child-killers. Holocaust victims are reimagined as supporters of Hamas. Israel is cast as a betrayal of Judaism itself. And most Jews — according to this man — secretly agree, but are too ashamed to say so.

And Brandon presented this as just another human story. Just another perspective. Just one more voice in the chorus.

But the Neturei Karta have maybe 5,000 members worldwide — with reportedly fewer than 100 active in public protests like the one featured. To present them as representative Jewish voices is like interviewing a member of Westboro Baptist Church to speak about Christianity. It’s not inclusion. It is distortion.

And the thing is, Brandon knows how to research. He has been doing this for 15 years, with care and intention. Every post is edited, fact-checked, and crafted. It is hard to see this one as naïve — or innocent.

So why did this betrayal land so hard? We are used to antisemitism from predictable sources. But this wasn’t just about the message; it was about the messenger. Brandon Stanton, the face of internet empathy, who made us believe everyone’s story deserved dignity. HONY wasn’t just a platform. It was a sanctuary.

And when your sanctuary turns on you, it breaks something deeper. My WhatsApp flooded with messages from Jewish friends across three continents all saying the same thing: this one hurts. Not because we expected better from antisemites — but because we expected better from Brandon.

And what makes it worse is that he won’t even recognize what he’s done. Brandon gets to spread antisemitism while keeping his hands clean.

He’s not saying Jews are child-killers… He’s just “featuring someone who opposes killing children.”

He’s not claiming Holocaust victims would support Hamas… He’s just “sharing a perspective.”

He is not asserting that most Jews are ashamed… He’s just “amplifying a Jewish voice.”

It’s the Tucker Carlson defense: find the token who says what you want said, then hide behind their identity while you platform the message. (The “I’m just asking questions of this Holocaust denier” defense.) Brandon trafficked in ancient hatred while preserving his brand as the king of empathy. He wounds us while pretending he’s just listening.

But this isn’t neutral storytelling; it’s a moral sorting. Brandon isn’t just amplifying one man’s perspective; he’s drawing a boundary around who counts as a “good Jew.” The good Jews are the ones who reject Israel, who echo the blood libel, who denounce their own people. And the rest of us? We’re implicated. We’re the problem. We’re the ones who are indifferent to dead children. In this framing, we are not human; we are villains.

When you have 30 million followers, there is no such thing as neutrality. Editorial choice is moral choice. And Brandon chose to tell the world that mainstream Jews are committing crimes “in violation of Judaism” — and that we secretly know it.

And here’s the part that feels most devastating: Brandon will go to sleep tonight believing he did something good. That he was brave. That he stood up for the voiceless. That he elevated a misunderstood view.

He’ll tell himself he loves Jews. That he has Jewish friends. That he never said anything hateful.

But this is how good people become complicit in evil, one “innocent” post at a time. He didn’t invent the blood libel. He just packaged it, amplified it, and gave it moral cover.

And that’s why this betrayal cuts so deep. Not just because Brandon Stanton wounded us. But because the man who claims to find the humanity in everyone dehumanized the vast, overwhelming majority of Jews around the world.

And he will never admit he drew blood.