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The use of Koestler’s theory by antisemites
Observation of German-language far-right and conspiracy Telegram channels in the present day would suggest that Koestler’s theory has been instrumentalised to promote antisemitism. In these channels, the terms “Khazars” and “Khazarian Mafia” have been used to describe Jewish people similar to how “Rothschild” and “Zionist” are used, ostensibly to soften antisemitic statements. More insidiously, the claim that Ashkenazi are not descendants of Israelites, but Khazars, allows antisemites plausible deniability by claiming that they only oppose “fake Jews” and “impostors” (as observed in Image 2).
Conspiracist and far-right actors online have also made direct reference to Koestler’s “The Thirteenth Tribe”. A convicted Holocaust denier from Germany referenced Koestler’s theory in a Bitchute video (Image 1), in which he speculated about a Jewish plan to build a “Heavenly Jerusalem” in Ukraine since most Jews were supposedly Khazars.