Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Antisemitism’s ‘imaginary Jew’ is the target in Brazil’s pro-Bolsonaro, neo-Nazi demonstrations

Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro take part in a protest to ask for federal intervention in front of the barracks of the 63rd Infantry Battalion in Estreito, in the metropolitan region of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, on November 2, 2022.- Thousands of Bolsonaristas gathered this Wednesday in front of Army commands in the main...

While Kanye West’s deranged, antisemitic ramblings continue to draw global attention, a more insidious form of antisemitism has been making noise in South America, an antisemitism based on what one Brazilian academic calls “the imaginary Jew.”

In June, at the invitation of Jewish leaders in Florianopolis, capital of the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, I met state legislator Felipe Estevão to discuss his sponsorship of bills to combat antisemitism in Santa Catarina and

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