Tucker Carlson: "Chabad Is Trying to Build the 3rd Temple In Jerusalem"

In a recent broadcast, media commentator Tucker Carlson reported to his audience that the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement is actively seeking to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

In a brief segment, Carlson provided a cursory overview of the history of Chassidism and the leadership of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. However, he concluded the clip by asserting that Chabad is the primary force pushing for the physical construction of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount, a claim that theological experts say is fundamentally incorrect.

The primary error in Carlson’s report lies in his misunderstanding of Chabad’s eschatology. Historically and theologically, Chabad does not advocate for the human construction of the Temple in the present day. Instead, the movement largely adheres to the belief that the Third Temple will either descend miraculously from heaven or be built by the Messiah himself upon his arrival.

Observers note that Carlson appears to have conflated Chabad with the "Kookist" or National Religious stream of Israeli society.

Unlike Chabad, certain elements within the Religious Zionist movement do engage in practical preparations for a future Temple, such as the Temple Institute in Jerusalem.

By attributing these goals to Chabad, a global movement known primarily for its outreach centers, Carlson has misidentified the actors involved.

Beyond the theological error, Carlson framed his report within the context of the "Greater Israel" and "Al-Aqsa is in Danger" myths.

He characterized the desire for a Third Temple as part of an expansionist Israeli plot to dominate the Middle East and displace the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Carlson framed these aspirations as inherently "anti-Muslim," utilizing a narrative often employed by regional agitators.

Critics of the segment point out that Carlson’s framing conspicuously omitted the foundational historical fact of the site: that the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock were built directly atop the ruins of the Second Jewish Temple following the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem.

The report serves as a prime example of the "tribalization" of political discourse. By framing a specific Jewish religious belief as a looming geopolitical threat to the Muslim world, Carlson continues to lean into a narrative that portrays Israel, and by extension, specific Jewish groups, as a destabilizing force.