A prominent social media conspiracy theorist with over 750,000 followers faced swift backlash and factual correction after posting misleading claims about the Jewish holiday of Chanukah on X (formerly Twitter).
Stew Peters, a controversial figure known for promoting far-right conspiracy theories, falsely claimed that Chanukah was a 20th-century invention created to appease Jewish children during the Christmas season. The platform's Community Notes feature quickly added a correction, citing historical evidence of Chanukah celebrations dating back to 164 BCE.
"Historical records clearly document Chanukah celebrations from antiquity," the fact-check noted, providing links to ancient texts including the Megillah and Mishnah that reference the holiday.
Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Managing Director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, responded to Peters' post by sharing an image of a 14th-century menorah. "Welcome to X, where a racist imbecile can have 750,000 followers," Menken wrote. "That means 750,000 citizens of the world become a little bit less intelligent and more infected with mindless hate every time he posts."
