Kanye West has once again caught the attention of the media, this time for expressing his love for actor Jonah Hill. On Sunday evening, Hill was spotted leaving an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica with a mystery woman wearing a brown shearling coat, after West declared his admiration for him on Instagram. However, Hill has not yet responded to West’s statement.
The controversial statements of Kanye West
West is notorious for making controversial statements in the past. This includes recently declaring his love for Hitler and the Nazis, and making anti-Semitic remarks on Twitter. His statement about watching an old Jonah Hill movie and liking Jewish people again did not erase his past anti-Semitic behavior nor did it suffice as an apology.
Jewish watchdog group StopAntisemitism and the American Jewish Committee are not convinced of Kanye’s sincerity and want to see more than just a social media post from him. Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, called Kanye out for joking about a movie with Jonah Hill and said that his anti-Semitic comments have created a dangerous trickle-down effect of hatred against Jews.
Kanye West’s antisemitic behavior
Despite losing his Adidas deal and billionaire status, he continues to make contentious statements on social media. His antisemitism has real-world consequences for others, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In his Instagram post, West claimed that watching Jonah Hill in a Hollywood comedy made him like Jewish people again which is a flippant way of looking at the Holocaust and Jewish culture.
West seems to have bought into the positive stereotype about Jews being funny, which is dehumanizing like negative stereotypes. He finished his post by arguing that no Christian can be labeled antisemitic knowing Jesus is a Jew, despite repeatedly making antisemitic comments before.
Response from Jewish organizations
Despite his statements, Liora Rez says that forgiveness is a major Jewish value and Kanye can still be forgiven if he denounces his association with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. The American Jewish Committee also wants Kanye to do more, including renouncing his past expressions of antisemitism and taking a serious and detailed look at his constant doubling down on it.
Both organizations are willing to meet with Kanye in his effort to turn the page, do the right thing, and become a better person if he is being authentic.
Jonah Hill’s career achievements
Jonah Hill has been in the entertainment industry for over ten years. He co-wrote and starred in Superbad,” which became a massive hit for Universal Pictures. Hill was involved in the production of the hit comedy “21 Jump Street” and co-owns a group called “Surf Jews California” with filmmaker Spike Jonze and Beastie Boys rapper Mike Diamond.
In addition to acting, Hill is set to direct a film called “Outcome” starring Keanu Reeves and produce a feature adaptation of Chris Leslie-Hynan’s 2014 novel “Ride Around Shining” through his production company Strong Baby.
Conclusion
Despite Hill’s silence on West’s declaration of love for him, the jury is still out on whether or not West can turn this controversy around. It remains to be seen if he will take the necessary steps towards reformation and enlist the help of Jewish organizations in order to better himself as an individual.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
