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Amazon selling scary $219 Halloween witch with Star of David spell book: ‘The oldest antisemitic smear’

Read the original at New York Post ↗
Cite

Lewak, D. (2026, October 13). Amazon selling scary $219 Halloween witch with Star of David spell book: ‘The oldest antisemitic smear’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/13/us-news/amazon-selling-scary-219-halloween-witch-with-star-of-david-spell-book-the-oldest-antisemitic-smear/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-13 · by Doree Lewak

Quick Summary

An animatronic Halloween witch sold by Amazon has sparked outrage among Jewish Americans due to its spell book featuring a Star of David, symbolizing an antisemitic stereotype. The $219 decoration from Collective Home includes a six-foot-tall witch with menacing features and a spellbook that critics argue perpetuates the harmful trope of Jews as sorcerers. Brooklyn resident Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, and Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, condemn Amazon for selling this item during a time of heightened antisemitic incidents, calling on the company to remove it from its platform.
Written by AI on 2026-10-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Amazon is selling a life-sized Halloween animatronic witch for $219, which has been criticized for featuring a Star of David on its spell book. This detail has raised concerns among Jewish Americans and others who see it as an antisemitic symbol, associating Jews with dark magic. A Brooklyn woman who unknowingly purchased the decoration from Collective Home through Amazon was shocked upon realizing this symbolism and expressed her upset about it. The City Council’s “Antisemitism Task Force” has since sent a letter to Amazon urging the company to remove the product due to its potentially harmful implications in the context of rising antisemitic incidents.

Written for “Amazon Witch Halloween Controversy” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Amazon Witch Halloween Controversy
Entertainment · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-13 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15592 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Doree Lewak
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “If they could survive, I thought I must go back to spread the light.
🔮 These changes may be presented as small design details, but they evoke harmful stereotypes and can normalize antisemitism,” Liora Rez, founder and executive director StopAntisemitism, told The Post.
🔮 If she lost me, she couldn’t go on.”
🔮 I would go to work every day, I had a girlfriend, and occasionally I would go to a festival.
🔮 “It’s a true miracle,” Yigal told The Post, adding that as life was cruelly stolen, new life can miraculously emerge – a testament that evil will not win.
🔮 I thought that if we don’t survive, at least the world will know we did our best to try,” recalled Aimee, who shared the image in real time with family abroad — who then sent it to the media.
🔮 Popular culinary personality Rami Tal, who moved to Tel Aviv from Australia, has been enjoying fame with his show “Cooking with Rami.” But the transplant – a local heartthrob who’s single – insisted he may be changing tactics to prevent his love life from going down the drain.
🔮 Latham wrote the dismayed scribe that her “best bet is to try and find a sympathetic venue” and offered her a $100 kill fee, which she declined. “There was simply no way to have a quiet chat with him, and if you had challenged him forcefully, I expect it would’ve gotten ugly very fast,” Latham wrote.
🔮 “Do you think I would have liked to have given up piano playing, golfing, tennis and skiing – things I loved?” asked Summers.
Also by Doree Lewak
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Doree Lewak →

Topics

Amazon Brooklyn Jewish Jews The Post

Subjects

Amazon ORG · 7× Jewish NORP · 7× Brooklyn GPE · 2× Jews NORP · 2× The Post ORG · 2× Americans NORP · 1× Collective Home ORG · 1× Israel GPE · 1× Jewish New Yorkers NORP · 1× Moshe Spern PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“With antisemitism skyrocketing, it is disturbing to see Jewish symbols quietly inserted into Halloween costumes: a Star of David on a witch’s spellbook and a Jewish star replacing the ring on an Austin Powers/Mr. Evil costume.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-13
🔮 These changes may be presented as small design details, but they evoke harmful stereotypes and can normalize antisemitism,” Liora Rez, founder and executive director StopAntisemitism, told The Post.

Claims (21 extracted, 1 hedged)

A popular Halloween decoration from Amazon is sending a scary message to Jewish Americans who are blasting it as the “oldest antisemitic smear.” asserted
who → send → smear
The life-sized animatronic witch has the classic spooky look – scary claws, menacing facial features – and a spell book. asserted
witch → have → look
But instead of the coven’s classic five-pointed pentacle, her spellbook bizarrely reveals a prominent Star of David, which critics say feeds into the dangerous trope of Jews as sorcerers casting a spell on the world. asserted
critics → reveal → world
One Brooklyn woman who inadvertently planted the $219 Amazon decoration from Collective Home on her front lawn was horrified when reached by The Post to discover the Jewish symbolism. asserted
who → plant → symbolism
“I’m very upset, this is horrible,” cried the woman, who insisted, “I don’t want to insult any religion. asserted
I → ’m → religion
I’m sensitive about these things. asserted
I → ’m → things
I’m a big supporter of Israel and the Jewish people.” asserted
I → ’m → Israel
Her handyman unboxed and assembled the six-foot witch and “I didn’t even look at it,” said the shaken woman, who added, “I should take it up with Amazon.” asserted
I → unbox → Amazon
Jewish New Yorkers are not charmed. asserted
Yorkers → charm → ?
“Amazon is openly selling a life-size witch reading from a spell book stamped with the Star of David. asserted
Amazon → sell → David
It’s the oldest antisemitic smear – Jews are sorcerers or practice witchcraft,” fumed Moshe Spern, president of the United Jewish Teachers group. asserted
Spern → ’ → group
“This trope is now repackaged as Halloween décor and shipped by the biggest retailer on earth. asserted
trope → repackage → earth
Somebody at Amazon either didn’t notice or didn’t care. asserted
Somebody → notice → Amazon
And now it shows up in Brooklyn, New York with all time highs in antisemitism.” asserted
it → show → antisemitism
Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. asserted
Report → start → news
Watchdog group StopAntisemitism laced into the larger pattern of problematic Jewish imagery baked into everyday items, which also includes a rebranded Dr. Evil costume whose signature pinky ring now features a Jewish star. asserted
ring → lace → star
“With antisemitism skyrocketing, it is disturbing to see Jewish symbols quietly inserted into Halloween costumes: a Star of David on a witch’s spellbook and a Jewish star replacing the ring on an Austin Powers/Mr. Evil costume. asserted
symbols → skyrocket → costume
These changes may be presented as small design details, but they evoke harmful stereotypes and can normalize antisemitism,” Liora Rez, founder and executive director StopAntisemitism, told The Post. uncertain
Rez → present → Post
“Amazon must take accountability for the products it sells to consumers, especially when they are marketed for a holiday so closely associated with children. asserted
they → take → children
Amazon should remove these items immediately. asserted
Amazon → remove → items
It’s the latest seemingly harmless novelty that was met with blowback. asserted
that → ’ → blowback
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