In some ways, the Robert Kraft-Macklemore brouhaha conforms to every cliché of our current moment: A rapper, his stalled career invigorated by activism widely derided as performative, shouts “Free Palestine” from the stage, to applause from a sold-out arena. Jewish critics protest on social media and beyond, saying he ignored and exacerbated their pain as supporters of Israel. A prominent antisemitism advocate wields his influence to cancel the rapper’s future performances. The Arab mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, offers to host and underwrite a concert instead.
