Smoke rises from a building following a reported strike, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran in this screen grab obtained from social media video released March 11, 2026.
Social media via Reuters
New Yorkers are reacting to former Fox News presenter-turned-podcaster Tucker Carlson’s statements last week that appeared to blame Jewish people for instigating the war in Iran on Feb. 28.
Carlson told viewers of his eponymous podcast during its March 4 episode that the conflict could be “a religious war” designed to rebuild the Third Temple — a theory based largely on believers in Christian end-times scripture — on historically disputed land between the Jewish and Muslim faiths.
During the episode, Carlson displayed video and a photo collage of Israeli soldiers, all wearing a similar patch, which he claimed depicted the Third Temple.
“How exactly did the IDF, a military force the U.S. taxpayer pays for, that lots of wealthy Americans send money to? … How did all these guys wind up wearing patches suggesting the point of this war was the destruction of one of the holiest places in Islam and the rebuilding of a temple? There are a lot of ways it happened,” the host said.
He then alleged that Chabad, a Hasidic Jewish movement focused on outreach and education, “has been pushing in a pretty subtle way for the reconstruction of the Third Temple.”
But Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, said Carlson’s specific evidence about the IDF patches was fabricated or unverified. The patches Carlson had claimed belonged to Chabad are actually from an unaffiliated organization, the attorney said.
“He named an identifiable Jewish organization as the secret architect of a war on grounds he did not establish, a pattern that creates not only moral culpability but potential legal exposure for defamation and the foreseeable consequences of incitement,” Filitti said.
New York rabbis step up security after ‘dangerous’ Carlson remarks
Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, a spokesperson for Chabad Lubavitch, headquartered in Brooklyn, told amNewYork that Carlson’s antisemitic conspiracy theory claims about Chabad and the Temple Mount are lies.
“Tucker Carlson’s rhetoric is reckless, dangerous and irresponsible. It endangers Jews worldwide,” he said. “Chabad focuses on doing good deeds to bring more goodness in the world.”
According to Religion News Service, the increased attention prompted Chabad rabbis across the country to step up security. Although Behrman could not comment on security at his location, he doubled down on the dangers Jewish people continue to face, including violence and physical and verbal antisemitic attacks.
“History has taught us that lies and blood libels always lead to violence,” he said.
While Behrman values free speech in America, he said it can sometimes contribute to the spread of misinformation or lies when used irresponsibly.
“Freedom of speech is something that is good. Part of my family comes from parts of Europe where it wasn’t allowed,” the rabbi said. “We appreciate being allowed to practice your religion and being allowed to say anything. But it also comes with risks. When you have a platform as big as Tucker’s and you spread reckless conspiracy theories rooted in antisemitic ideas, total lies, a lot of people read that. And it’s dangerous.”
Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder and director of the Manhattan Jewish Experience, said “Tucker is at it again,” and defended Chabad from the host’s comments.
“His ridiculous comments about Chabad—an organization that does tremendous good for Jews and communities around the world—reveal a deep ignorance about, and hostility toward, the Jewish people,” Wildes said. “I don’t know where he gets these ideas, but rhetoric like this becomes dangerous when it reaches such a large audience. To those who support him: be careful who you choose to look up to.”
Filitti echoed the sentiments of many Jewish advocates.
“Tucker Carlson is spreading lies that inflame Jew-hatred and can get people killed at a time when Jewish communities around the world are under siege,” he said. “Every political leader and every media figure who shares his platform, his stage, or his audience must say so clearly and without equivocation – or be judged by their silence to be complicit.”
amNewYork contacted “The Tucker Carlson Show” for comment and is awaiting a response.
