Betar US Slams 'South Park' Episode as Antisemitic

The Zionist activist group Betar US has issued a scathing statement accusing the latest "South Park" episode of promoting "lazy antisemitism" by depicting an American Jewish mother confronting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza war, claiming it blames Israel for rising global antisemitism. The episode, titled "Conflict of Interest" and aired on September 24, 2025, as the fifth installment of Season 27, has sparked polarized reactions, with some praising its bold critique of the conflict and others, including pro-Israel voices, decrying it as defamatory.

In a video statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) early Thursday, Betar US, a chapter of the international Zionist movement founded in 1923 by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, described the scene, where character Sheila Broflovski storms Netanyahu's office, accusing him of "killing thousands and flattening neighborhoods" while "making life for American Jews impossible," as a "grotesque inversion of history and morality."

The group argued that portraying Jewish identity with mocking Hasidic music in the background turns it into a "punchline," and using the stereotypical "nagging, overbearing diaspora Jew" character provides cover for slander against the Jewish state. Betar US explicitly called out "American Jewish liberals" pushing similar narratives as "enemies of the State of Israel," stating, "There is no bigger enemy of the state of Israel than the Diaspora Jewish liberal."

The post has ignited heated debate on X. Supporters echoed the sentiment, with one user calling it "defamation" that excuses antisemites by shifting blame to Israel. Critics, including pro-Palestinian activists, dismissed the response as overreach, arguing the episode critiques Netanyahu's policies rather than Judaism itself, and accused Betar of "clutching pearls" to defend what they term genocide. One reply mocked Betar as "apologists for Israel's genocide," while another defended the satire, noting co-creator Matt Stone's Jewish heritage and the show's history of equal-opportunity offense.

The episode weaves the Gaza storyline into a multi-plot narrative satirizing prediction markets like Polymarket, where South Park kids bet on absurd outcomes, including whether Sheila, Kyle Broflovski's mother, will "strike Gaza and destroy a Palestinian hospital" due to her Jewish identity. Kyle, the show's recurring Jewish protagonist, rails against the bet as antisemitic, emphasizing, "Jews and Palestinians are not football teams that you bet on," while Sheila clarifies, "It’s not the Jews against Palestine; it’s Israel against Palestine." The confrontation with Netanyahu culminates in Sheila's tirade: "You kill thousands and flatten neighborhoods, then wrap yourself in Judaism like it’s some shield from criticism! You are making life for Jews miserable and life for American Jews impossible."

"South Park" co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Stone being Jewish and voicing Kyle, have a long history of tackling Jewish themes and antisemitism, often through Cartman's bigotry or episodes like "The Passion of the Jew" (2004), which mocked Mel Gibson's film for stoking hate. This marks the show's first direct engagement with the ongoing Gaza war, nearly two years after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack. The episode also skewers U.S. figures like FCC Chair Brendan Carr and Donald Trump, maintaining the series' irreverent style.

Media coverage reflects the divide: Haaretz highlighted the episode's aim at Netanyahu's "weaponization" of Judaism against criticism, while the Jewish Telegraphic Agency noted its unsparing portrayal of pressures on American Jews from all sides. Pro-Palestinian outlets like The New Arab praised it as addressing Israel's "genocide", while Israeli media such as Israel Hayom called it "unflattering" to the country. On X, reactions range from fans fearing cancellation, "South Park seeing how bad they can p*** off... Israel in a single episode," to celebrations: "South Park is right. Benjamin Netanyahu is making Jews around the world unsafe."

Betar US, with chapters worldwide promoting "proud fierce Zionism," has not responded to further inquiries.