Kanye West, DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla Sign, Teyana Taylor, and Zoey Dollaz at ‘LIV on Sunday’ as part of Art Basel on Dec. 11, 2023. Photo: Seth Browarnik/startraksphoto.com via Cover Media via Reuters Connect

The apology that rapper Kanye West made earlier this week for his series of antisemitic comments has received mixed responses from Jewish groups, who are saying they need more than just words to believe the musician and fashion designer.

On Tuesday, the Grammy winner and Yeezy designer uploaded a Hebrew-language message on Instagram addressed to the Jewish community.

“I sincerely apologize for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused,” wrote the 46-year-old. “I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”

The apology was published shortly before West, who now legally goes by the name Ye, releases his new album, Vultures, on Jan. 12. In one of the songs on the upcoming album, he raps: “How I’m antisemitic? I just f—ked a Jewish b—ch.” Earlier this month, the Flashing Lights rapper went on an antisemitic rant at an album listening party in Las Vegas.

The rapper came under fire late last year after making a number of antisemitic remarks, sharing antisemitic tropes on social media, and promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and stereotypes. He said, for example, “I like Hitler” and urged people to “stop dissing the Nazis.” Because of his comments targeting the Jewish community, he lost his Yeezy partnership with Adidas, as well as his partnerships with a number of other brands.

The official Twitter account for the state of Israel wrote in a Hebrew language post on Thursday, “thank you, but no thank you” regarding Ye’s apology.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed West’s apology this week but added that it hopes to see his words backed by actions.

“After causing untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate, an apology in Hebrew may be the first step on a long journey towards making amends to the Jewish community and all those who he has hurt,” the ADL said in a released statement. “Ultimately, actions will speak louder than words but this initial act of contrition is welcome.”

The ADL revealed in its audit of antisemitic incidents in 2022 that West was directly referenced in 59 antisemitic cases tracked by the group from October through the end of that year, including 44 cases of harassment, 13 cases of vandalism, and two cases of assault.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) criticized West for issuing the apology in Hebrew and without a translation, saying that the rapper “intentionally” denied American Jews and non-Jews who don’t know Hebrew from being able to understand his apology. The AJC also called the apology “bizarre and possibly a ploy to gain more attention.”

The nonprofit organization StopAntisemitism said it wants to know what additional steps West is taking to make amends for offending the Jewish community with his past remarks. “Will he be deleting his vulgar lyrics referring to having sex with a Jewish woman? Has he committed to any mental health programs to prevent further antisemitic outbursts to his millions of followers?” the organization asked. It also wanted to know why the apology was in Hebrew.

Israeli activist Noa Tishby, who is also Israel’s former special envoy for combating antisemitism and delegitimization, did not buy the apology at all and had some choice words for the rapper. In a video shared on social media on Wednesday, Tishby told West in Hebrew, “just shut up.”

“We don’t need your apology,” she further said in English. “We don’t want you to say anything. We don’t need you to speak about us at all. Every time you talk about the Jewish people, something bad happens. We basically need you and people like you, who know nothing about Israel or the Jewish people, to shut up. That’s it.”