Sarah Silverman Defends Whoopi Goldberg: ‘She’s Not Anti-Semitic, It’s Semantics’

Comedian Sarah Silverman is defending Whoopi Goldberg after her suspension from ABC.

Goldberg was suspended for comments she made about the holocaust, and Silverman, who identifies as Jewish, said Goldberg is not anti-Semitic.

“Even though I believe she is incorrect, she’s not anti-Semitic,” Silverman explained. “It’s semantics. Like what is race?”

“I was actually looking up the word race,” Silverman continued. “It’s very  ambiguous —there’s no kind of one that I saw like definition and definition has changed over centuries and stuff and whatever. It’s, you know, words, however you want to categorize whatever. And we know that Jews are hard to categorize because we’re shapeshifting vermin that control everything,” Silverman said sarcastically.

Silverman then made the argument that if Jews were classified as purely white, they wouldn’t be killed as often. “If Jews were considered white then white nationalists like the one in Orlando this past week wouldn’t be trying to get rid of us for tainting their pure whiteness,” she said. “As a white Jew, Jews come in all colors.”

Silverman continued that the entire discussion around jews being a race is not set in stone. “I experience white privilege,” Silverman said. “But I also can be an atheist and still be killed by anti-Semites. Meaning, it’s that I was born Jewish that makes me the enemy, not because of my beliefs. And I think that’s where there’s a gray area with like Jews as race.”

After discussing the topic for over two minuets, Silverman said she has no interest in getting into it.

“You know, I mean, if you’re born hated, then that sounds like race to me. But you know, it’s semantics ultimately, and I have no desire to get into that.”

Listen above via the Sarah Silverman podcast.