Fox host Mark Levin falsely says CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer’s parents “weren’t victims in one way or another, of the Holocaust”
Levin says “CNN is filled with self-hating Jews” like Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper. Blitzer has repeatedly shared publicly that his parents survived the Holocaust and he lost other family members.
Written by Eric Kleefeld
Research contributions from Brendan Karet
Published
Updated
Update (11/2/23): A CNN spokesperson issued the following statement to Media Matters concerning Levin's remarks:
Mark Levin’s comments about Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper were wildly uninformed, inappropriate and shameful. Wolf is the child of Holocaust survivors and all four of his grandparents were murdered during the Holocaust, a fact that Wolf has personally reported on through a special documentary, trips to Auschwitz, written reflections, and decades of public speaking on Holocaust education and awareness. Levin’s antisemitic rhetoric is dangerous, offensive and should be universally denounced.
Conservative radio personality and Fox News host Mark Levin launched a false and vicious attack Wednesday night against CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer over Blitzer’s coverage of the deaths of Palestinian civilians in the Israel-Hamas war, falsely claiming that Blitzer’s parents “weren’t victims” of the Holocaust, and that “you wouldn’t know” he was from a Jewish background due to his coverage of the ongoing conflict.
“Wolf Blitzer, as I understand it, his parents weren't victims in one way or another, of the Holocaust,” Levin claimed. “But certainly his family comes out of that background — but you wouldn’t know it. Because the ideology of the left is very attractive. It’s very compelling, particularly if you’re in media.”
In fact, both of Blitzer’s parents came to the United States as refugees from Poland after surviving the Holocaust, while all four of his grandparents were murdered along with multiple other family members. Earlier this year, he wrote after a visit to Auschwitz, where both of his father’s parents were killed, “I proudly carry the names of my two grandfathers – Wolf Isaac Blitzer.” Blitzer’s deeply personal connection to the Holocaust has been memorialized in a CNN special report.
Levin continued the segment by declaring that “CNN is filled with a lot of self-hating Jews, in my opinion,” singling out CNN anchor Jake Tapper as well as MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell, before saying that by asking about civilian deaths, “Wolf Blitzer wants Israel to die, with such a dumbass question like that.” (Last week, Levin called Tapper “a propagandist for the enemy,” and further declared, “He’s another, in my view, self-hating Jew.”)
Levin has also pushed dehumanizing rhetoric against Palestinians, declaring that he would not shed “crocodile tears” for the “quote-unquote ‘civilians’” in Gaza, and complaining about the United States potentially requiring “conditions” of Israel to ensure civilian protections.
Fox host Mark Levin falsely says, “Wolf Blitzer, as I understand it, his parents weren’t victims in one way or another of the Holocaust”
![Mark Levin Wolf Blitzer 11.1.23](https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/styles/crop_300x180/s3/static/D8Audio/2023/11/02/levin_radio.png?itok=S9zgFxEH)
Citation From the November 1, 2023, edition of Westwood One's The Mark Levin Show
MARK LEVIN (HOST): I want you to listen to Wolf Blitzer, to Hakeem Jefferies on CNN yesterday. Wolf Blitzer, as I understand it, his parents weren’t victims in one way or another, of the Holocaust. But certainly his family comes out of that background — but you wouldn’t know it. Because the ideology of the left is very attractive. It’s very compelling, particularly if you’re in media. Wolf Blitzer, cut two with Hakeem Jeffries, go.
[CLIP BEGINS]
WOLF BLITZER: A senior Hamas official that it claims was the leader in the October 7th terrorist attack —
[CLIP ENDS]
LEVIN: So, let’s stop. A senior Hamas official that it claims, meaning Israel claims, was a leader in October 7 attack — you’ve seen his picture. You know his background. You know his connections. What do you mean that Israel, or it claims — what do you mean, it claims? Was Himmler part of the senior level of Nazis, or is that just a claim? But here we go, go ahead.
[CLIP BEGINS]
BLITZER: — We don’t yet know how many civilians were killed in today’s strike on that refugee camp, but is taking out one of the Hamas leaders —
[CLIP ENDS]
LEVIN: There wasn’t a strike on a refugee camp. If they wanted to strike the refugee camp, you’d see more than one location with a missile hit. It wasn’t a strike on refugees. One of the top commanders of what happened on October 7th, one of the leading subhuman Nazis was there in the refugee camp. So, you can’t beg him to leave. Please leave so we could kill you. You got to go get him. And Israel has explained again and again and again and again that even an old man like Wolf Blitzer, who has a hearing problem, and an IQ problem should be able to comprehend this, that there are underground tunnels. Wow, there are? Yes, there are, like spaghetti under Gaza. And so, when you drop a bomb or shoot a missile and hit a location, often they cave in. Not always, but they cave in. Why? Because the infrastructure doesn’t exist any longer. That is, the ground, their tunnels. Tunnels mean there’s space. There’s space underground. So, if something dramatic happens at the surface, it can blow through the surface into the ground. And Wolf Blitzer has been on TV a long time, and he knows that. But he doesn’t care. Go ahead.
[CLIP BEGINS]
BLITZER: — Two Hamas leaders who may have been there worth the deaths of so many civilians?
HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Well, I support Israel’s right to defend itself —
[CLIP ENDS]
LEVIN: That’s Hakeem. I mean, Wolf makes Hakeem look like George Patton. The communist news network is sickening. I told you. MSNBC is filled with Hamas-supporting demagogues and propagandists. CNN is filled with a lot of self-hating Jews, in my opinion.
Will Blitzer asks a question that he knows the answer to. Andrea Mitchell does the same thing. Jake Tapper does the same thing. Let me — you know what? Step back, let’s look at this. Step back, let’s look at this. Israel, its military is a liberating army. If you believe Hamas is forcing the citizens of Gaza — that is, the Palestinians, to live in a hellhole, to live in refugee camps — why do you have a refugee camp in Gaza? Refugee camp, you have refugee camps — In other words, in the United States, we had refugee camps. Remember Franklin Roosevelt pushed a bunch — what, 120,000 Japanese Americans into internment camps, refugee camps? But do you — is Hamas pushing “Palestinians,” quote, unquote, into refugee camps? Well, if they are, then Israel’s liberating them. I don’t understand. Now, everybody knows what’s going on here. Everybody. Everybody knows what Hamas is. Everybody knows what Hamas is doing. Everybody knows that Iran funds and is behind Hamas and arms it. Everybody knows it. Everybody knows that Joe Biden rearmed the Iranians. Everybody knows that he’s still rearming the Iranians. Everybody knows that Qatar gives them money. That Turkey gives them money. That Qatar protects their leaders. That Turkey protects their leaders.
Israel’s told, “I know, but don’t you hurt civilians” — We’re trying not to. But then, “You went after one of the commanders, and you hurt some civilians” — In other words, Wolf Blitzer wants Israel to die, with such a dumbass question like that.