(Jewish Group) Dabbling in antisemitism, Pat Robertson portrayed himself as a friend to certain Jews

[Behind the Aegis]

Dabbling in antisemitism, Pat Robertson portrayed himself as a friend to certain kinds of Jews

Pat Robertson, the televangelist who died June 8 at age 93, could at times appear to cherish Jewish traditions. His 700 Club program, a chat show expounding right-wing Christian ideology, regularly organized Rosh Hashanah celebrations because, as Robertson claimed during one broadcast, “We identify with our dear friends in the Jewish community and Israel.”

Yet he was also capable of comments like this, made during a 2014 program in which Robertson hosted the Orthodox rabbi Daniel Lapin and claimed: “What is it about Jewish people that make them prosper financially? You almost never find Jews tinkering with their cars on the weekends or mowing their lawns.”

To which Rabbi Lapin concurred that he paid others to tend his car and lawn. Robertson added that the rabbi was busy “polishing diamonds, not fixing cars.”

When this exchange was reported in the media, Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) issued a press release attempting to defuse the exchange as a mere “jovial back-and-forth” featuring “good-natured ribbing” by Robertson, rather than a “slur on the Jewish people.”

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