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"Political candidates and personalities in public life now literally repeat the rhetoric of white supremacists," said Jonathan Greenblatt, president and national director of the Anti-Defamation League. | Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
Anti-Semitism has "gone from average margins," said Sunday the President and CEO and National Director of Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt.
His remarks on NBC's "Meet the Press" come a day after the murder of an armed man who killed 11 people and wounded seven others in Pittsburgh during the deadliest attack on a synagogue in American history .
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The tragedy may be related to competing political rhetoric, said Greenblatt.
"Political candidates and personalities in public life now literally repeat the rhetoric of white supremacists," said Greenblatt. "They think it's normal and acceptable to talk about Jewish conspiracies, manipulation of events or Jewish financiers controlling in one way or another the activities. And it's awful. "
Social media is accentuating the trend, he said, suggesting that technology giants should help fight the phenomenon.
"Not only does the political environment contribute to this, but social media is amplifying and accelerating it in a shocking way," Greenblatt said. "Silicon Valley is part of the problem and must be part of it."
President Donald Trump, speaking in front of the attack at a Saturday political rally in Illinois, expressed surprise at the fact that anti-Semitic acts had occurred "nowadays ". But his surprise was misplaced, said Greenblatt.
"Unfortunately, he's wrong about it," Greenblatt said. "We live at a time when anti-Semitism is almost normalizing. And that should shock us and get us all to act.
