On July 16, New Times published a cartoon by Russell Hodin depicting the Pentagon overlaid with a Star of David, encircled in chains, captioned “U.S. Department of Eretz Israel.” This is not satire. It is a centuries-old antisemitic trope alleging nefarious Jewish power
The false accusation that Jews secretly control governments has fueled antisemitic hatred for centuries and today is used by extremists and bad actors across the political spectrum. At a time of unprecedented antisemitic violence in the United States, according to our Annual ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, publishing a cartoon using this trope promotes distrust of Jewish Americans and invites further discrimination.
Publishing this image normalizes hatred and amplifies conspiracy theories. This is not the first time New Times has amplified antisemitism. We hope it is the last.
We call on New Times to immediately retract this cartoon, issue a public apology to the Jewish community, vet future contributors for histories of bigotry, and reassess the editorial standards that allowed this cartoon to get published.
Joshua Burt
regional director
Anti-Defamation League
Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties
This article appears in Education Today 2026.
Having an interest in history, I have often wondered what flaw in the German character caused so many of them to so enthusiastically embrace antisemitism in the 1930’s and eagerly participate in the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. So it is dismaying to me to see it catch on as the latest “big, new thing” on college campuses, sort of like a hateful TikTok challenge. I am hopeful that it is just a socially-driven herd phenomenon that the kids quickly lose interest in before they move on to their next, and hopefully less malign, craze. The Germans came to regret their participation as they surveyed the ruins of their country, and the horrors of the camps, and hopefully the college kids and the rest of the world will be spared the full experience.