Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories

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Greene's Facebook post laying out this conspiracy theory was first reported on January 28 by Eric Hananoki, an investigative reporter for Media Matters for America. Media Matters is a left-leaning nonprofit and media watchdog that largely reports on right-leaning media outlets and figures. Rep. Jason Smith, the secretary of the House Republican Conference, did not respond when his office was asked if he believed that “Rothschild Inc” had fired space lasers to start the 2018 Camp Fire, or if such comments were appropriate. When did you first notice that your name activated a certain kind of trollish response online? What did you make of that?

Rothschild is controlled by the Rothschild family, a wealthy Jewish family from Germany that has for centuries been the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Such claims play a huge role in QAnon, which is partly based on anti-Semitic tropes. This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America," she continued, while adding that she "didn't get a single apology" when her "life was threatened" after GOP Representative Paul Gosar shared an animated video depicting her being killed with a sword in 2021. I spoke with Rothschild over Zoom about how these lies metastasized, the new phony Rothschild heir and Elon Musk’s decision to take on the Anti-Defamation League. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

The Republican representative from Georgia has endorsed QAnon conspiracy theories, among others.

Journalist Mike Rothschild, bearing a surname synonymous with wealth and power, has delved deep into these myths. Although he clarifies he has no direct lineage to the famed Rothschild banking dynasty, his exploration into the conspiracy theories surrounding the family is both profound and personal. We end with a pretty bleak analysis in the book. The conspiracy mongers “will never stop because they never have.” But is there a way to combat this? The Rothschilds have largely opted for “no comment.” What can our tactic be?

But modernity brought its own problems, like crushing urban poverty, and anti-Semitism adapted to explain those ills as well. Anti-Semitic writers and politicians described Jews as a disloyal population dispersed throughout the Christian world, an international group plotting to use modern finance to undermine the stability of Christian society and manipulate Europe and the United States from behind the scenes. Rep. Tom Emmer, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee: “We don’t support any hate-driven conspiracy theories.” In the post, which has now been deleted, Greene implied that the Rothschilds, a wealthy Jewish banking family frequently referred to in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric), space solar power company Solaren, and California officials all had a hand in profiting from the fires. Most companies are run by not Jewish but by protestants. The richest people on the planet are not Jewish. The result is an increasing presence of and tolerance for right-wing anti-Semitism in American public discourse. Notions like assigning blame to wealthy Jews like George Soros for non-white immigration, an idea that has its origins on the far-right anti-Semitic fringe, are not only acceptable but echoed by Republicans at the higher level.

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What I still don't comprehend, even after reading this book, is why these conspiracies have such staying power. It's been hundreds of years and people are still using powerful Jews as their boogeymen. Even when these conspiracies are so illogical it's impossible to parody them. They're self-parodies. It's just...baffling. How do you see it connecting to Jewish cabal conspiracy theories in general, and also what is your general assessment of X since Musk took over? We are still trying our best to piece together exactly what happened that caused this unfortunate fire. The Rothschild family has featured heavily in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories since at least the 19th century. Anti-Semites have generally updated the theory by replacing the Rothschilds with George Soros, a more contemporary and plausible-seeming mastermind for a global conspiracy to spread left-wing ideology. Greene’s version has instead updated the theory by giving the Rothschilds possession of a secret, powerful space laser. A patient and painstaking invalidation of antisemitism that also highlights its perniciousness. ” –Publishers Weekly