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Hate Rebranded: How Antisemitism Found New Home Online

Yael Jacobovici

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Antisemitism has a long history of evolving to fit the social, cultural, and political contexts of different eras. During the Black Plague in Europe in the mid-14th century, since Jews were loathed by the Christians, they became scapegoats and were falsely accused of causing the disease. In the second half of the 19th century, a “new” kind of antisemitism emerged. At its core was the theory that Jews were not merely a religious group but a separate “race.” The Nazis propounded the idea that Jews were a threat because of their “Jewish blood.” Antisemites united these new racial theories with older anti-Jewish stereotypes, and the result was the systematic genocide of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. Today, in the age of digital platforms and rapid consumption of information from unverified sources, and especially since October 7th, we are witnessing one of the most insidious forms of antisemitism: rebranding. The digital shift has allowed antisemitism to spread rapidly and widely and subtly, especially through social media platforms, often disguised as political criticism, social justice, or humor. 

Social media has played a significant role in normalizing old antisemitic stereotypes and spreading new ones. Antisemitic memes and jokes on such themes such as Jewish influence over media, finance, and politics, among others, are spread on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, perpetuating harmful stereotypes under the disguise of humoristic content. For example, a popular filter on TikTok of a hooked nose (a very harmful stereotype from the Nazi propaganda era) went viral as a humoristic take. This kind of content, more often than not consumed by uneducated younger audiences, who consume information more rapidly than ever, without verifying or questioning its source or credibility, not only perpetuates old antisemitic narratives but also ignites new antisemitic theories about Jews’ influence on different spheres of life or a Jewish claim to superiority over others, and all this becomes linked to discussions about Israel.

One of the biggest accomplishments of sponsors of antisemitism is their ability to harness influencers and celebrities with a large number of followers (sometimes larger than the total worldwide Jewish population). These influencers, the majority of whom are Gen-Zers, known to support popular progressive agendas, have shared or endorsed antisemitic content, lending it credibility in the eyes of their followers and consumers and significantly increasing its reach. One of the most infuriating examples is the international model Gigi Hadid, daughter of a Palestinian millionaire, who shared with her 77 million Instagram followers that Israel has harvested the organs of dead Palestinians during the current war in Gaza.

This example, which is clearly baseless and was largely rejected by most moderate Westerners, reflects how an old antisemitic theory, dating back to the 19th century, is repackaged and rebranded on social media. Old, false theories about Jewish claims to supremacy are making a comeback and are branded as “injustices'', connected directly to modern and historical struggles against racial injustice, and are applied to the Israel-Hamas war, appealing to social justice activists and leading billions to believe that the Palestinian struggle is another story of racial injustice, equivalent to others, while eliminating its historical, cultural, and legal complexity. This new simplified “reality” is easier to digest both ideologically and practically (compare the experience of consuming content and information from social media with dedicating years to studying this conflict).  

Misinformation and blood libels of this type on social media can be stopped. Social media’s algorithms tend to create echo chambers where users are only exposed to content that reinforces their existing beliefs. This can lead to the unchecked and rampant spread of antisemitic rhetoric among uneducated individuals looking for simple truths. 

Algorithms promote interactive designs, capturing the user's attention by means of controversial messages, sometimes amplified by bots and trolls. This system promotes radical, bold, and extreme content to maximize user engagement through emotional and psychological manipulation. Content typically consists of images and short, catchy, and simple texts with simple symbolism, leading to echo chambers, which create the perfect opportunity for manipulation. Users who engage with antisemitic content are often led further and exposed to increasingly radical material. This can result in the radicalization of individuals who might not have otherwise have held or even been exposed to such views.

Two years ago, during my role as a Senior Policy Advisor to Israel's Consul General in New York, I participated in a series of meetings with executives from different social media platforms, one of which was Meta. Our goal was to understand how we can gain tools to help fight antisemitism online.

I still remember the feeling of discomfort in the room, listening to the people who actually control social media, and their consistent attempts to minimize and even disregard our concerns about the harassment of Jews online. During the meeting, they emphasized how they are trying their best to teach the different algorithms to identify “bad words” such as “kikes” (a derogatory word Nazis and antisemites use to describe Jews). They excused themselves multiple times, explaining that it takes a long time to teach the algorithm these kinds of words, and how the process of recognition is long, even when the words are very well-known and commonly used by those who utilize this kind of language.

Nevertheless, I tried to present a different perspective to them. I told them about my own experience with online harassment and how people obsessed with Jews and Israel didn’t need to use these words to harass someone online with total impunity. For instance, I received various death threats online to my public profile, which I was forced to close - the typical “We are going to get to you and your family”, “We know where you live”. In addition, I received pictures of a soap bar with an inscription, “This is what your family will become again” and a picture of my loved ones. Needless to say, Meta's algorithm doesn’t recognize a soap bar as a threat or hate speech.

This kind of harassment indicates how radicalized people can be, how toxic and passionate the people behind these actions are, and notably how they can commit their crimes with total anonymity and lack of any consequences. One of the lessons we should have learned from the Holocaust is that antisemitism doesn’t start with gas chambers or concentration camps, it starts with words, with the spread of misinformation and propaganda against Jews, and their dehumanization. 

If you have read up to this point, you are probably asking yourself: what does antisemitism online have to do with Jewish education? All the above points to one glaring and clear fact: education, and Jewish education in particular, is our most important tool, especially now. 

Firstly, while educators may not have the same number of followers as celebrities or influencers, they are in a position to make a lasting impact. A good educator who is a credible source of information for young people, can have an enormous impact on their lives, shape their point of view on many issues, and encourage them to think critically and question the information they consume. Educators do so routinely and consistently, day after day, week after week, and year after year. In many ways, educators are the ultimate influencers. 

Secondly, the classroom, regardless of the institute in which it is located, is the best place to evolve and grow, in this case, both as individuals and as Jews. Jewish education offers a unique perspective involving a historically and culturally rich heritage of success but also of failures. There are so many case studies to learn from, sources of inspiration, and different angles from which to look at things. The classroom offers an opportunity to cultivate an approach to social media activism that includes messaging and communication strategies, and our view on geopolitics and reality. Most of the text above details how our adversaries adjusted their horrific messaging and theories to the modern era and its technology, and there is no reason we should not be able to use the same tools to speak our truth.  

Finally, if there is anything history has taught us, it’s that no matter what the odds, or how heavily the deck is stacked against us, our togetherness, our shared knowledge of who we are, of our history, and our ability as Jews standing together will always prevail and will spread our light over darkness. It is of the essence, now more than ever, to preserve our values, our culture, our history - our Jewish identity. 

 

Here, at the M.A in Jewish Education at the Hebrew University, I see at close hand how students, faculty and staff members, alumni, community leaders, and diverse educators are reinventing themselves, learning from old texts and using new tools of the 21st century to strengthen and empower Jewish identity. While they keep rebranding antisemitism, we continue to grow. The louder our adversaries are, the stronger we must become.

 

 

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Currently, Yael is the Community Manager at the Melton Master's Degree.

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