The Anti-Defamation League said that though Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, had caused “untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate,” his Tuesday Hebrew-language apology posted to Instagram was a “first step.”
Ye emptied out his Instagram account, which has 18.3 million followers, except for one post—the apology. The post featured no caption nor a translation into English. Only 22% of American Jews have “minimal to native fluency” in Hebrew, according to the American Jewish Committee, with 42% unable to read or speak the language at all.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, 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,” the post read, according to a translation from The Jerusalem Post. “Your forgiveness is important to me and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”
Later Tuesday morning, the ADL posted to X, formerly Twitter, with its comment on Ye’s apology.
“After causing untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate, an apology in Hebrew may be the first step on a long journey towards making amends to the Jewish community and all those who he has hurt. Ultimately, actions will speak louder than words but this initial act of contrition is welcome,” the ADL wrote.
Ye’s apology follows the release of his latest album, Vultures, which came out on December 15. The album itself has led to controversy over a line from the title track, “How I’m antisemitic? I just f*cked a Jewish b*tch.”
In addition, some people pointed out the album art’s similarity to the cover of an album by Neo-Nazi metal band Burzum, according to Moment. Ye also wore a hood similar to the Ku Klux Klan at a Miami listening party on December 13, according to the Guardian. Ye’s hood was black, compared to the KKK hoods which are typically white.
Ye made a brief apology for his antisemitism in October 2022, when he said that he “likes Jewish people again” after watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street in a now-deleted Instagram post, according to Rolling Stone.
Prior to watching the comedy film, Ye had appeared on Alex Jones’ Infowars to praise Adolf Hitler. Ye was also alleged to have wanted to name an album Hitler, according to CNN, which also reported that West had made antisemitic comments that went unaired during his 2018 TMZ interview where he said that slavery “sounds like a choice.”
This February, the ADL compiled a report of antisemitic incidents that directly referenced Ye and his previous comments. There were at least 30 such incidents, many including the phrase “Ye Is Right.” One infamous incident happened in October 2022, when the “Goyim Defense League,” an antisemitic extremist group, hung banners reading “Kanye is right about the Jews” across the United States.