A thread published on X by political commentator José Niño has reignited one of the oldest and most dangerous forms of antisemitic propaganda: the portrayal of prominent Jews as shadowy "oligarchs" secretly manipulating governments and political parties. The thread repeatedly describes Spanish Jewish leader David Hatchwell Altaras as a "Jewish oligarch" allegedly controlling Spain's Vox party and serving "Zionist interests" instead of Spain's national interests.

The accusations go far beyond political criticism. They revive a classic conspiracy theory that has been used for generations to justify hatred against Jews: that Jews possess hidden financial power, manipulate governments behind the scenes, and place loyalty to fellow Jews above the countries in which they live.

Throughout the thread, David Hatchwell Altaras is portrayed not simply as an individual with political views, but as part of a supposed transnational network directing European politics according to a hidden Jewish agenda. The author repeatedly claims that "Jewish oligarchs" shape immigration policy, influence nationalist parties, and subordinate European interests to Israel.

This rhetoric is disturbingly familiar.

For centuries, antisemitic movements have promoted variations of the same narrative, whether through the fabricated Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Nazi propaganda about "international Jewish finance," or more recent conspiracies alleging Jewish control of governments, banks, media, universities, or global institutions. The terminology evolves, but the underlying accusation remains remarkably constant: Jews are portrayed as an alien elite exercising disproportionate influence over societies in which they live.

Equally troubling is the reaction the thread received online. Among the responses is an openly antisemitic comment asserting that "Communist Jews vs Zionist Jews is a myth" and reducing Jews to a single hostile collective. Such comments demonstrate how coded accusations against individual Jews rapidly encourage broader attacks against Jews as a people.

David Hatchwell Altaras is a respected leader of the Jewish community in Spain who has spent decades promoting dialogue between Spain and Israel, combating antisemitism, and defending the democratic rights of Jewish citizens. Disagreement with his views or activities is entirely legitimate. Reducing him to the stereotype of a "Jewish oligarch" allegedly orchestrating national politics is not political criticism—it is the recycling of a well-established antisemitic trope.

As someone whose own family history was shaped by this hatred, I cannot read these accusations with indifference. My grandparents fled Poland as young children at the very beginning of the Second World War. They spent years wandering across Europe before emigrating to the newly established State of Israel, eventually rebuilding their lives in Brazil. Like millions of Jewish families, ours learned that persecution rarely begins with violence. It begins with words. It begins with conspiracy theories portraying Jews as wealthy manipulators, disloyal citizens, or foreign agents working against the nations in which they live.

That is why the targeting of David Hatchwell Altaras deserves attention far beyond Spain. History teaches that campaigns against prominent Jews seldom remain personal. Once society accepts the notion that individual Jews secretly control political movements or governments, suspicion quickly extends to synagogues, Jewish schools, community organizations, and ordinary Jewish citizens. The target changes, but the narrative remains the same.

The Jewish communities of Europe have seen this progression before. Today it is David Hatchwell Altaras. Tomorrow it may be another Jewish leader, another Jewish institution, or another Jewish community. The labels may differ, but the objective is identical: to portray Jews as a collective force whose influence must be feared and resisted.

Democracies depend on vigorous political debate. They do not depend on resurrecting myths that have fueled centuries of discrimination, persecution, and ultimately catastrophe for the Jewish people. Europe cannot afford to normalize, once again, the language that history has already taught us to recognize.