I explore how nationalists, populists, and antisemites used Soros as a scapegoat and bogeyman.

His legacy as a major benefactor to higher education, human rights, and the liberalization of Europe's former communist countries

has been tarnished by baseless conspiracy theories.

Success followed early hardship

Soros, a Hungarian Jew, survived the Holocaust. After World War II, he studied at the London School of Economics while working part-time. He became a citizen five years after immigrating to the US in 1956.

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Soros became a successful investor and hedge fund manager in the 1970s. He became one of the world's leading financiers by the 1990s.

Philanthropy and political freedom garnered him the greatest attention.

Wealthy giving

In the 1980s, Soros began supporting political and social movements in Eastern Europe that sought to replace totalitarian states with democratic societies. Recognizing the significance of grassroots movements and the ability of individuals to effect change, his assistance enabled a large number of activists to combat oppression and advocate for human rights.

Additionally, he gave generously to support education.

In 1979, Soros began his philanthropic career by funding scholarships for Black pupils in apartheid-era South Africa. In the 1980s, he financed the trips of Hungarian liberal intellectuals to Western universities in order to promote the exchange of ideas in communist Hungary.

In 2001, when he gave $250 million to the Central European University in Budapest, it was the largest endowment for higher education on the continent.

In 1993, Soros founded what is now known as the Open Society Foundations. This international grant-making network derives its name from Karl Popper's 1945 book, "The Open Society and Its Enemies." Individuals flourish in open societies, according to Popper, because they can freely express themselves and test their ideas, whereas closed societies result in stagnation.

Much of Soros' philanthropy aims to promote tolerant societies with accountable governments that permit everyone to campaign, agitate, donate to candidates of their choosing, or even run for office.

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The foundations of Soros currently support human rights organizations in more than one hundred countries. Its initiatives target a wide variety of global issues, including public health crises and low economic development in low-income countries.

Soros remains on Bloomberg's list of the 500 wealthiest individuals as of 2023, with a net worth of over $7 million. However, his fortune would have been considerably larger if he had not donated approximately $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations since 1984.

Myths of antisemitic conspiracies

Support for progressive initiatives such as America Votes and Demand Justice by the Open Society Foundations has enraged many conservatives who disagree with the aims of these causes.

Numerous conspiracy theories target Soros due to his fortune and influence. As an enigmatic puppet master manipulating world events for his own benefit, he has been demonized. Such unfounded accusations frequently target his Jewish heritage, inciting antisemitic tropes that date back centuries.

During the 2015 influx of Syrian refugees into Europe, for instance, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused Soros of a nefarious plot to facilitate an alleged "Islamic takeover of Europe" with the Syrian immigrants.

After the murders of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancee in 2018, the former prime minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, blamed Soros for press freedom protests in his country..

All-Polish Youth burned an effigy of Soros dressed as a Hasidic Jew holding an EU flag in 2015, despite the fact that the philanthropist was raised in a nonreligious family, has never dressed in the style of the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic sect, and has not been a major supporter of Jewish causes.

As I explained in a chapter of my book on nationalism and populism, U.S. conspiracy theories have persecuted Soros for decades. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the current House speaker from California, accused Soros of attempting to purchase the 2018 midterm elections. Wayne LaPierre, the leader of the National Rifle Association, accused Soros of plotting a socialist conquest of the United States in 2018, invoking antisemitic falsehoods from the early 20th century about a Jewish-Bolshevik conspiracy.

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In the same year, then-President Donald Trump falsely tweeted that George Soros was funding protests against Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

These unfounded theories have also motivated extremists to take action: In 2010, a far-right extremist devised an attack on the progressive Tides Foundation in San Francisco. The man was sentenced to 401 years in prison after his thwarted conspiracy resulted in a gunfight with police officers. The extremist erroneously believed that Soros used Tides "for all kinds of nefarious activities."

In 2018, another extremist sent a pipe device to the New York City suburb where Soros resides. No one was injured, but the perpetrator was sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Many other far-right extremists have attempted to rationalize their assaults on Jews and other minorities with anti-Soros conspiracy theories, including the 2022 supermarket killer of ten African-Americans.

A complex legacy

Not all critiques of George Soros are antisemitic.

While I believe that Soros' support for freedom and his dedication to empowering marginalized communities are commendable, I also believe that it is reasonable to query the origins of his wealth and the methods he used to acquire it.

As is the case with all billionaires, the Soros family wealth contributes to the perpetuation of a system of income inequality and concentrated political power in the hands of the world's wealthiest individuals. I believe that this disproportionate influence undermines genuine democracy.

George Soros has without a doubt funded through charitable contributions work that has promoted democratic values. However, his financial support for Democratic political causes and candidates, such as former U.S. President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Joe Biden, has made him a divisive figure.

When megadonors of any political persuasion make large contributions to a candidate or party, their contributions can influence the agenda and distort democratic processes.

In his first interview as the new chair of Open Society Foundations, 37-year-old Alex Soros told The Wall Street Journal that he is "more political" than his father and that he is likely to donate to political causes that promote voting rights and abortion rights.

It remains unclear how Soros' son intends to halt the demonization of the family's charitable activity.