Rapper posts message in Hebrew to social media, saying he is ‘committed to making amends and promoting unity’
Kanye West has apologised to “the Jewish community” for a series of antisemitic remarks he made in 2022.
In a statement posted in Hebrew on his Instagram account, where he has 18.2m followers, he wrote (as translated by Google): “I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community … It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”
West, also known as Ye, was widely condemned after writing on X in October 2022 that he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE … You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” He posted a screenshot of a conversation with the rapper Diddy, in which West wrote: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”
The comments prompted Adidas to cut ties with West and end its lucrative Yeezy footwear partnership, with the company calling his comments “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”. (Adidas’s chief executive Bjørn Gulden later said: “I don’t think he meant what he said and I don’t think he’s a bad person – it just came across that way.”) Gap, which also partnered with West and was already winding up their collaboration, stopped stocking West-affiliated products.
Frankly, writing this in Hebrew is a bit shitty. Most Jews in the world don’t live in Israel, and while Jews outside of Israel might learn to read Hebrew when they’re young, most can’t actually understand its modern spoken version. So while I can see how someone might think releasing an apology in Hebrew might show solidarity with the Jews, it kind of does the opposite, at least for me.
Actions speak louder than words in a foreign language.