AJC's glossary of antisemitic terms, phrases, conspiracies, cartoons

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 1

AJC's glossary of

antisemitic terms,

phrases, conspiracies,

cartoons, themes,

and memes.

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

blood libel 4

cabal 4

clannish 5

conspiracy theory 5

control 6

cosmopolitan elite 6

cowardice 7

creatures 7

deadly exchange 8

deicide 8

dual loyalty 9

(((echo))) 9

“From the River to the Sea” 10

globalist 10

“The Goyim Know” 11

greed 11

Holocough 12

Holocaust denial 13

Illuminati 14

Jewish capitalist 14

Jewish communist 15

Jew down 15

Jewish features 16

Jewish ﬁgures 16

Jewish lightning 17

Jewish lobby 17

Judas/30 pieces of silver 18

Khazars 18

kosher tax 19

New World Order 19

“not the real Jews” 20

poisoning the well 20

Protocols of the Elders of Zion 21

QAnon 22

Rothschild 22

Satan 23

scapegoat 24

silencing 24

slavery / slave trade 25

smirking merchant 25

Soros 26

“Zionism is racism” 26

Zionist / “Zio” 27

Zionist Occupied Government 28

Deﬁning Antisemitism 29

How to Report Hate 31

Conclusion 32

Introduction

Antisemitism is the hatred of Jews. But it is not only a hatred

and manifests itself in many dierent ways. It includes

medieval blood libel claims rooted in Christianity and twentieth

century conspiracy theories about Jewish control of the world

economy. It encompasses Holocaust denial and distortion and

virulent anti-Israel animus. It can exist in places where Jews are

prominent and visible and in places where Jews themselves

are entirely absent. It may be present in physical encounters at

work or on the street or in the virtual world of the internet and

social media. But in order to combat antisemitism we must

ﬁrst understand it. And that means we must deﬁne it in all

its forms and expressions, in ways both painfully evident and

obscure.

In 2020, nine in ten American Jews believe that antisemitism

is a problem in the United States. Eight in ten believe it has

increased in the past ﬁve years. Their concerns align with FBI

data which show increased levels of antisemitism in the U.S.

However, non-Jews are largely not aware of this increase. Only

four in ten members of the U.S. public believe antisemitism

has increased in the past ﬁve years. And maybe most startling,

nearly half (46%) of U.S. adults have not heard the term

antisemitism or have heard the term but do not know what it

means.

Translate Hate was created to explain antisemitism. This

glossary aims to improve media literacy on antisemitism

and hate, especially in the digital realm. It oers a

comprehensive list of terms and expressions that will help

you recognize antisemitism when you see it. And once you

recognize it, you can become part of the global eort to

ﬁght it—and eliminate it.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 4

blood libel

noun \ 'bləd 'lī-bəl \

: perpetuated accusation that Jews have murdered non-Jews

(such as Christian children) in order to use their blood in rituals

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

The blood libel charge—also known as the ritual murder

charge—has falsely accused Jews of killing and using the

blood of Christians for ritual purposes since the Middle Ages.

Blood libels were commonly spread before the Jewish holiday

of Passover, outrageously asserting that Jews “used the blood

of Christian children” as an ingredient in ritual breads—an

association linked to the ancient accusation that Jews are to

blame for the death of Jesus (see deicide).

In more contemporary times, blood libel charges evolved

into a widespread blame of Jews for unconnected murders

and other horriﬁc crimes—including the modern rumors

of organ harvesting in Israel (see Figure B1) and Jews (or

Zionists) eating Palestinian children and drinking their blood

(see Figure B2).

As one of the longest-standing forms of antisemitism, blood

libels have led to horriﬁc violence, destruction, persecution, and

massacres of Jewish people and communities—before, during,

and beyond the Nazi propaganda that used it to demonize

Jews. Despite its utter falsehood and its disavowal by Jews,

the Roman Catholic Church, and other nonreligious authorities,

blood libel remains an inﬂuential myth in the 21st century.

cabal

Noun \ kə'bäl \

: a small, powerful group that seeks to establish control

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Jews have long been accused of being part of a secret group

that controls the economic and political world order. The

term cabal originates from the word kabbalah, the Jewish

mystical interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. Often denoted as

“Jewish cabal” on social media, it is a dog whistle for Jewish

control (see control).

Several antisemitic publications and conspiracy theories

capitalize on this imagery of a conniving cohort, such as the

Protocols of the Elders of Zion or the New World Order theory

which is based on the idea that Jews have formed a power

structure in which they control the media, economy, and politics

(see Protocols of the Elders of Zion, New World Order).

Figure B2

An UNRWA teacher in Jordan

posted this cartoon on

Facebook showing a Jewish

person cutting up and eating a

Palestinian child while drinking

his blood, 2015.

Figure C1

A tweet shared in September

2020.

Figure B1

A headline from October 2018

referencing a blood libel charge

of Israel murdering Palestinian

children for their organs.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 5

clannish

theme \ 'klaniSH \

: of or relating to a clan; tending to associate only with a

select group of similar background or status

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Referring to Jews as clannish is an antisemitic stereotype

claiming that Jews only associate and do business with “their

own kind,” using their power to beneﬁt other Jews and keep non-

Jews from having a fair chance. This accusation has been used to

label Jews as economically untrustworthy, aggressive, apathetic,

exclusive, and unaccepting of non-Jews and non-Jewish cultures.

Similarly, the conspiracy that global Jewish ﬁnancial ﬁrms are

connected by family ties and work together in an unethical

manner is known as the “clannish” theory. This false claim

perpetuates the idea that Jews are “elitists” who work against

the interest of all non-Jews to gain wealth (see greed).

The nearly 200-year-old Rothschild conspiracy theory is an

example of how this “clannish” theme has fueled antisemitism

throughout history to the modern day. At its core, this theory

states that a secret clan of Jews under the leadership of the

Rothschild banking family has been manipulating currency and

global events for personal enrichment and world domination

(see Rothschild).

conspiracy theory

theme \ kən-'spir-ə-sē 'thē-ə-rē \

: a belief that some covert but inﬂuential organization is

responsible for a circumstance or event

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

From medieval times until the present day, conspiracy

theories have spread antisemitic beliefs that blame Jews for

the world’s worst tragedies. Jews were accused of poisoning

wells in 14th century Europe causing the Black Death and

in 21st century America, they were charged with being the

"hidden hand" responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Antisemitism, like all conspiracy theories, is irrational in nature—

unable to be explained by logic or sound reasoning. In his

1986 book Antisemitism in the Contemporary World, Michael

Curtis describes how no other group aside from Jews has been

blamed simultaneously for opposing phenomena: being an

insular yet cosmopolitan group; for being capitalists and behind

Communist revolutions; for being subhuman but also a chosen

people. To conspiracists, conspiracy theories are “self-sealing,”

meaning any attempt to dispel the theory with logic will serve

as evidence to the conspiracist of the theory’s existence.

Many conspiracy theories are rooted in the antisemitic myth

that Jews are the “hidden hand,” plotting to take over and

Figure C3

An antisemitic conspiracy

involving the 9/11 terrorist

attack was spray-painted on

a landmark rock at the

University of Tennessee in

September 2019.

Referencing rumor of

celebrations following 9/11

Figure C2

A tweet shared in July 2011.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 6

control the world (see control). This trope was central in the

rise of Nazism and is still present today.

Other conspiracies allege Jews are behind their own hate

crimes, such as the “false ﬂag” theories, and even go as far

as to say the Holocaust was a hoax created by Jews to gain

sympathy (see Holocaust denial).

control

theme \ kən'trōl \

: power or authority to guide or manage

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

False reports that claim Jews control the media, banks,

and governments are part of a longstanding conspiracy of

secret Jewish power. This antisemitic trope is rooted in the

discredited publication, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,

which was published in Russian tsarist times and accused

Jews of trying to control the world (see Protocols of the

Elders of Zion).

These myths of control portray Jews as secret puppet

masters ruling over others and manipulating the world’s

economies and governments (see Figure C4). For centuries,

Jews were blamed for leading “blind” world leaders into wars

and into debt to enrich themselves and further their own

hidden agenda (see Figure C5).

Antisemitic propaganda continues to spread the idea that rich

or inﬂuential Jews are behind the scenes furthering their plans

of world domination.

cosmopolitan elite

Noun \ ,kazmə'palit(ə)n ‘i'lit \

: a phrase combining “cosmopolitan,” or representing many

cultures, with “elite,” referring to the upper class of society

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

“Cosmopolitan” and “elite” are terms that have separately

incited antisemites across the political spectrum. Based on

stereotypes of Jewish wealth and insularity, Jews have been

accused of being part of an elite class for centuries. In the

Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, for instance, Jews were

charged with being “rootless cosmopolitans” and fell victim to

Stalin’s anti-cosmopolitan campaign where they were arrested

and tortured. Today, “cosmopolitan elite” is a code word used

by the far-right to accuse Jews and liberals of controlling

America and/or being disloyal and unpatriotic by favoring

internationalism over isolationism.

Figure C6

A tweet shared in September 2020.

Figure C4

An antisemitic meme posted

by the former head of the

Philadelphia NAACP to

Facebook in July 2020.

Figure C5

Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu as a dog leading

a blind U.S. President Donald

Trump published in The New

York Times, April 25, 2019.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 7

Figure C7

An antisemitic Facebook threat

received in December 2015 by

a victim of the San Bernardino

shooting one day prior.

Figure C8

An antisemitic cartoon shared

on Instagram in July 2018.

Antisemitic caricatures mocking

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

and Likud lawmakers

cowardice

noun \ 'kau(-ə)r-dəs \

: lack of bravery

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Evolving from the erroneous accusation that Jews lacked

patriotism (see dual loyalty), in the aftermath of World

War I, Jews were portrayed as cowardly and weak people

who actively evaded military service. According to this

trope, Jews’ inherent cowardice and disloyalty made them

responsible for national defeats. The apparent Jewish

meekness in the face of the Holocaust (ignoring the many

acts of bravery against overwhelming odds) even allowed

antisemites to claim that Jews contributed to their own

genocide (see Holocaust denial).

creatures

theme \ 'krē-chərs \

: animals, as distinct from human beings; ﬁctional or

imaginary beings

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

A common form of coded antisemitism includes illustrations

and images that depict Jews as vermin, tentacled creatures,

reptilian men, and other “subhuman” monsters.

Antisemitic rhetoric that dehumanizes Jews laid the foundation

for the Holocaust, used as rationale by the Nazis to treat them

as creatures that needed to be exterminated. It appeared in

Nazi literature and other propaganda to spread antisemitic

tropes—including Jews as the overlords of global aairs, Jews

controlling minds, Jews’ quest for world domination, and Jews

as superior or elite masterminds (see New World Order).

More recently, antisemites such as Nation of Islam leader Louis

Farrakhan have referred to Jews as “termites” likening them to

unwanted pests who multiply rapidly, take over, and destroy

everything they touch.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 8

deadly exchange

theme \ 'dedli/ /iks'CHānj \

: suggesting Israel is responsible for American police brutality

due to training programs between U.S. and Israeli police forces

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

The deadly exchange trope directly compares U.S. police

actions against Black Americans with the Israeli Defense

Forces’ (IDF) treatment of Palestinians. Believers in the

“deadly exchange” allege “worst practices” are shared

[between U.S. and Israeli armed forces] to promote and

extend discriminatory and repressive policing practices that

already exist in both countries, including racial proﬁling,

massive spying and surveillance, deportation and detention,

and attacks on human rights defenders.”

Users of this trope argue Israeli and U.S. law enforcement

exchange security practices and ideologies to purposely

target people of color. This false equivalence appeared in

demonstrations in the summer of 2020 when protesters

chanted “Israel, we know you, you murder children, too" (see

blood libel). This is categorically false. Accusing Israel or

Zionists (see Zionists) of complicity in the murder of Black

people is malicious, perpetuates antisemitism, and blames

Jews for societal ills (see scapegoat).

deicide

noun \ 'di ə,said \

: the killing of a god

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Deicide is the charge that Jews bear eternal responsibility

for the death of Jesus Christ. This claim is based on Matthew

27:24-25, “His blood be on us, and on our children,” also known

as the blood curse. This verse (25) has led to more Jewish

suering than any other passage in the Christian Bible.

This source of antisemitism among Christians was only

refuted by the Catholic Church in 1965, with Nostra Aetate,

the landmark document that rejected collective Jewish

responsibility for this crime. Protestant churches have also

repudiated the deicide charge. Nevertheless, antisemites

continue to use the charge that Jews killed Jesus to justify

their anti-Jewish hatred. Additionally, the same wrongful

accusation and imagery connected with Jews as Christ-killers

has been recycled in the Middle East, often in the form of

Jesus representing Palestinians who are “cruciﬁed” by the

Israeli Defense Forces or the Israeli Government.

Recycled deicide charge

Figure D3

Boukhari, Arabia.com. April 7,

2002.

Implying Israel is responsible

for claims of American police

brutality and racism

Figure D2

A headline from March 2016

reporting on an antisemitic

chant that broke out during a

high school basketball game.

Figure D1

A cartoon shared on the ocial

Fatah Facebook page, May 2020.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 9

dual loyalty

noun \ 'd(y)oōəl 'loiəltē \

: loyalty to two separate interests that potentially conﬂict

with each other, leading to a conﬂict of interest

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Dual loyalty is a bigoted trope used to cast Jews as the

“other.” For example, it becomes antisemitic when an

American Jew’s connection to Israel is scrutinized to the

point of questioning his or her trustworthiness or loyalty to

the United States (see Figure D4). Dual loyalty accusations

also occur on U.S. college campuses when Jewish students

are asked to denounce the actions of the Israeli government

in order to participate in progressive activities.

By accusing Jews of being disloyal citizens whose true allegiance

is to Israel or a hidden Jewish agenda (see globalist), antisemites

sow distrust and spread harmful ideas—like the belief that Jews

are a traitorous “ﬁfth column,” meaning they are undermining

their country from within. The allegation of dual loyalty can

also be aimed at non-Jews for what antisemites see as being

“excessively loyal to Israel,” a criticism rarely leveled against

friends and supporters of other countries (see Figure D5).

For centuries, these antisemitic accusations of disloyalty

have led to the harassment, marginalization, oppression, and

murder of Jewish people.

(((echo)))

symbol \ 'e-(,)kō \

: an antisemitic symbol used to highlight the names of Jewish

individuals or organizations owned by Jews

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

The (((echo))) is part of the coded antisemitism that occurs

online (see Figure E1). Used by antisemites, neo-Nazis, and

white nationalists, the triple parentheses are applied to Jewish

names or topics to identify, mock, and harass Jews in a way that

is dicult to ﬁnd in search engines, yet hiding in plain sight.

While it originated on an antisemitic blog, the (((echo))) went

mainstream with the creation of a now-removed Chrome

extension—called "Coincidence Detector"—that placed three

sets of parentheses around the names of Jewish individuals,

of which there were over 8,000 listed.

This symbol has opened yet another avenue for Jews to be

targeted with antisemitic messages and even death threats—

but it’s also given some Twitter users a chance to ﬁght back

by placing parentheses around their names in an act of

solidarity spearheaded by Yair Rosenberg (see Figure E2).

Figure E2

A tweet shared by Yair

Rosenberg in June 2016.

Figure D5

A tweet shared in February 2019.

Blaming Jews for all tragedies

Figure E1

A tweet shared in September

2016.

Referring to Jewish

victims of the Holocaust

Figure D4

Antisemitic ﬂyer posted in Long

Branch, New Jersey, June 2018.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 10

“From the River to the Sea”

noun \‘fruhm ‘thə ‘RIVər ‘too ‘thə ‘si\

: the catch-all phrase symbolizing Palestinian control over the

entire territory of Israel’s borders, from the Jordan River to

the Mediterranean Sea

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” is a

common call-to-arms for pro-Palestinian activists. It calls for

the establishment of a State of Palestine from the Jordan

River to the Mediterranean Sea, erasing the State of Israel

and its people. It is also a rallying cry for terrorist groups and

their sympathizers, from the Popular Front for the Liberation

of Palestine (PFLP) to Hamas, which called for Israel’s

destruction in its original governing charter in 1988.

Sometimes the Palestinian ﬂag emoji is used as shorthand

for this phrase to spam social media posts related to Jews,

whether having to do with Israel or not. There is of course

nothing antisemitic about advocating for Palestinians to have

their own state. However, calling for the elimination of the

Jewish state, or suggesting that the Jews alone do not have

the right to self-determination, is antisemitic.

globalist

noun \ 'glōbəlist \

: a person who advocates the interpretation or planning

of economic and foreign policy in relation to events and

developments throughout the world

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Much like dual loyalty, globalist is used to promote the

antisemitic conspiracy that Jewish people do not have

allegiance to their countries of origin, like the United States,

but to some worldwide order—like a global economy or

international political system—that will enhance their control

over the world’s banks, governments, and media (see control).

The idea of a Jewish globalist was embedded in the

core ideology of Nazism. Hitler often portrayed Jews as

“international elements” who “conduct their business

everywhere,” posing a threat to all people who are “bounded

to their soil, to the Fatherland.”

Today, globalist is a coded word for Jews who are seen

as international elites conspiring to weaken or dismantle

“Western” society using their international connections and

Figure G1

A tweet shared in March 2018.

AntiSemitic Term

Figure F1

A poster from the Popular

Front for the Liberation of

Palestine terrorist group.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 11

control over big corporations (see New World Order)—all

echoing the destructive theory that Jews hold greed and tribe

above country.

“The Goyim Know”

meme \ t'hə 'g'i-əm 'nō \

: a catchphrase used to impersonate and mock Jews and the

antisemitic conspiracy theories connected to them

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

“The Goyim Know,” sometimes followed by “Shut It Down,”

is a popular antisemitic meme based on conspiracy theories

of manipulative Jews with plans of world domination and in

control of the media, economy, and governments.

Typically paired with oensive images of a stereotypical Jew

talking on a phone or holding a shocked expression (see Figure

G2), this meme is widely used by white supremacists and other

antisemites—on sites like 4chan and 8kun (formerly 8chan)—to

mock a panicked Jew whose secret plot or manipulations have

been revealed by non-Jewish people, or goyim.

While “goyim” is a term used by some Jews to refer to non-

Jews, antisemites and white supremacists have weaponized

the word to mock and accuse Jews of promoting a prejudiced

support for their own clan.

As it spread online, “The Goyim Know” also made its way

oine through an antisemitic song parody by the same name,

as well as the phrase appearing on signs during the “Unite the

Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Other manifestations

of the far-right using “Goyim” to mock Jews are the Goyim

Defense League (GDL) and GoyimTV.com (see Figure G4).

greed

theme \ 'grēd \

: a selﬁsh and excessive desire for more of something (such as

money) than is needed

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

As a foundation for the most constant antisemitic

falsehoods, the association of Jews with greed has fueled

antisemitism throughout history and still aects Jews today.

In the Middle Ages—when Christians were forbidden by the

Church to lend money for interest—money-lending, trade,

and commerce were the few professions Jews were allowed

to have. Jews were blamed for usury, or the act of charging

high rates of interest, and this association led to stereotypes

about Jewish greed and wealth. These accusations were

among the reasons listed by John Earnest, the white

Figure G2

An example of the popular

“The Goyim Know. Shut It

Down.” meme.

Figure G3

An example of the popular

“The Goyim Know” meme.

Figure G4

A sign with the phrase "The

Jews Want A Race War” was

hung from the heavily tracked

Los Angeles interstate 405

highway overpass.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 12

supremacist who murdered a Jewish woman and injured

others in Poway, CA in 2019. From Shakespeare’s sinister

Jewish caricature in The Merchant of Venice to Rothschild

schemes of world domination (see Rothschild) to Nazi

propaganda on Jewish economic control, the antisemitic

trope of greed can be found in everything from pop culture

to deep-web conspiracy theories.

The theme of greed in antisemitic rhetoric is so widespread

that it’s led to a long list of Jewish stereotypes, including

being excessively materialistic and money-oriented,

exploiting others for personal gain, being overly wealthy, and

controlling the world’s ﬁnances (see Figure G5).

Holocough

meme \ hälə ‘käf \

: a call by the far-right to spread coronavirus to Jews to infect

and kill them

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

“Holocough” ﬁrst emerged on white supremacist and neo-

Nazi channels on alternative social media platforms as news

of COVID-19 spread in the U.S. Far-right personality Milo

Yiannopoulos used “Holocough” in a Telegram poll, and

the term further spread to Gab, a messaging platform with

a large far-right and extremist base, after user Bjundabare

created an image with the text, “If you have the bug, give a

hug. Spread the ﬂu to every Jew.”

The “Holocough” ﬁnds its roots in the historic practice of

connecting Jews to sickness, providing antisemites with

familiar tropes. In the 14th century, Jews in Europe were

blamed for poisoning wells and causing the Bubonic plague,

and thousands of Jews were murdered in response; in the

1890s, Jewish Americans were blamed for the tuberculosis

outbreak in the U.S.; in the 1930s, Adolf Hitler compared Jews

to bacteria and disease; and today we are again witnessing

Jews being blamed for COVID-19 (see poisoning the well).

Ironically, the same people invoking the term #Holocough are

often the same ones denying the scope and veracity of the

Holocaust.

Figure H2

An antisemitic picture

created by Bjundabare on

Gab in April 2020.

Figure H1

A poll posted to Milo

Yiannopoulos’s Telegram page

in March 2020.

Figure G5

A tweet shared on August of

2019.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 13

Holocaust denial

theme \ hō-lə-,kost di-'nī(-ə)l \

: an attempt to negate the facts of the Nazi genocide of the

Jewish people; a belief that the Holocaust did not happen or

was greatly exaggerated

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Despite endless historical facts, Holocaust denial and

distortion spread the false idea that Jews invented or

exaggerated the Holocaust, including the diary of Anne

Frank, Nazism’s intent to massacre Jews, the use of gas

chambers in concentration camps, and the murder of millions

of Jews. Denying the Holocaust, including denying the scope

or methods used by the Nazis and their allies during the

Holocaust, is antisemitic.

The term “Holohoax” is a common term for Holocaust deniers

across the political spectrum, who claim the Jewish people

exaggerated or made up the Holocaust. The term appears

on dozens of Facebook groups of every political disposition,

including extreme-right, anti-Zionist, conspiracy theory

communities, pro-Palestinian groups, and more (see Figure H3).

And even when antisemites don’t deny the Holocaust, they

have used it to attack Jews by accusing them of inventing or

exaggerating the Holocaust or by comparing its horrors by

the Nazi regime to defensive actions taken by the State of

Israel. Claiming that the State of Israel, home to the largest

number of living Holocaust survivors, behaves like the

Nazis in its treatment of Palestinians is a personal attack on

survivors and distorts the meaning of the Holocaust. Likening

the Gaza Strip, governed by the terrorist organization

Hamas, to the Warsaw Ghetto, where Jews were conﬁned

by the Nazis before being transported to death camps as

part of the systematic massacre of 6 million Jews during the

Holocaust, or comparing the Israeli Defense Forces to the

Nazi army (Wehrmacht), is a form of Holocaust denial. There

is no legitimate comparison between defending the State of

Israel and ensuring the safety of its citizens to the systematic

destruction and liquidation of an entire people.

Figure H3

A tweet shared in August 2020.

Figure H4

A tweet shared in October

2019.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 14

Illuminati

noun \ i-,lü-mə-'nä-tē \

: groups or persons claiming special religious enlightenment

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Historically, the Order of the Illuminati refers to a secret society

founded in Bavaria by Adam Weishaupt in the late 18th to

advocate for secularism. However, during the interwar period

of the 20th century, fascist propaganda claimed the Illuminati

were a subversive element which served Jewish elites who were

behind global capitalism and Soviet communism (see Jewish

capitalist, Jewish communist) and were plotting to create a New

World Order (see New World Order).

This conspiratorial stance on the Illuminati, as well as its related

conspiracy theory of Freemason-controlling Jews, are built

on classic antisemitic themes, including the notion of Jewish

control over the world, the meddling by Jews in global politics,

and the Jewish plot for complete power over world governance

(see control).

Jewish capitalist

noun \ 'joōiSH 'kapədləst \

: a person who supports the principles of capitalism, an

economic and political system based on private or corporate

ownership of production and proﬁts as opposed to public or

state ownership

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Jews have been accused of puppeteering the world economy

for centuries, having been associated with money since the

Middle Ages when commerce, trade, and other ﬁnancial

industries were the only professions Jews were allowed

to have. As capitalism replaced other traditional forms of

commerce, the association of Jews with money remained

(see greed).

While capitalism and communism are each terms that

describe an economic philosophy and worldview that have

been embraced by millions of people and served to deﬁne

the two adversaries of the Cold War which dominated the

20th century, when an adjective is added and the terms

become Jewish capitalist or Jewish communist (see Jewish

communist), the meanings change.

Figure J1

A tweet shared in October 2020.

The German Democratic

Republic (GDR ) was a

communist satellite state

of the Soviet Union and yet

Jews were blamed as enemy

capitalists.

Figure J2

Grati artist Mear One’s “Freedom

for Humanity” mural depicting white

male capitalists, several who are

Jewish (see Jewish features) as the

enemy of the good. London, 2012.

Figure I1

A headline referencing the New

World Order from February

2011.

Dollar triangle =

Illuminati triangle

Two triangles creating the Star of

David

“ASNOM” anagram for MASON

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 15

Blaming Jews as “greedy capitalists” or for being at fault

for capitalism’s woes is a form of economic antisemitism.

Economic antisemitism is based on the alleged economic

status and ﬁnancial behavior of Jews. It can also transcend into

government policies which target Jews based on perceived

economic practices.

Jewish communist

noun \ 'joōiSH 'kämyənəst \

: a person who supports the principles of communism, a

political and socio-economic ideology, in which all goods are

publicly owned as opposed to privately or state owned, and

social classes are eliminated

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

“Jewish communism,” or “Judeo-Bolshevism,” is an antisemitic

conspiracy theory that states Jews have been behind

communist revolutions around the world. Leon Trotsky was

a political ideologue, who happened to be Jewish, who was

personiﬁed by the Russian Czarist government as a symbol

for Jewish Bolshevism (see Figure J4). Nazi Germany invoked

the antisemitic “Judeo-Bolshevism” myth to blame Jews for

Germany’s woes after World War I. While some Jews were

communists and fought in the Red Army during World War

II, labeling all Jews as communists is antisemitic. Another

code word invoked is “Marxists,” after Karl Marx, who, despite

being of Jewish descent, decried Judaism and blamed Jewish

merchants for promoting capitalism.

Jew down

verb \ joō doun \

: antisemitic term for haggling or bargaining for a cheaper

price

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Rooted in the false stereotype that Jews are cheap or

stingy, the phrase “Jew down” may seem to be a harmless

expression that’s used in everyday vernacular. However, it is

an insulting, antisemitic misrepresentation of Jewish behavior

that plays into the trope of Jews as greedy money handlers

who are unwilling to part with their earnings.

The common, mainstream use of antisemitic terms, like Jew

down, plays a dangerous role in normalizing antisemitism and

reinforcing conspiracy theories in the minds of antisemites.

Figure J5

A tweet shared in March 2015.

Term for non-Jew

Figure J4

1919 Russian Civil War

propaganda poster depicting

Jewish Bolshevik Leon Trotsky

(from Serhii Plokhy’s The Gates

of Europe).

Figure J3

A tweet shared in July 2018.

‘Marxists’ has often been used as a code

word for Jews and is antisemtiic when

Jews are blamed for communist oppression

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 16

Jewish features

theme \ 'joōiSH 'fēCHərs \

: antisemitic stereotypes that focus on physical features or

characteristics

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Large curved noses. Curly or red hair. Horns. Dark eyes

with drooping lids. Even though Jesus and all twelve of

his disciples were Jewish, it is red-haired Judas who is

purported to espouse Jewish values of greed and betrayal

(see Judas, greed). From religious woodcuts to inﬂammatory

publications in the medieval ages, Jewish features like curly

or red hair and hooked noses were grotesquely drawn, fueling

conspiracies that Jews are easily identiﬁable and subhuman.

The degradation of Jews through ﬁctional facial stereotypes

has been a staple theme in antisemitic propaganda used to

portray Jews as subhuman or disﬁgured. Stereotypical Jewish

features are still used today—from Internet memes to cartoons

in top-tier news outlets—and they perpetuate the antisemitic

notion that base motives are revealed in ugly features. In

the 2020 Aalst Carnival theme, “UNESCO: Controlled by the

Jews?” Jews are drawn as distorted, red-nosed, and with gold

teeth, furthering the stereotype that Jews are malformed and

associated with money (see Figure J6).

Anti-Zionists also use the common feature of Jews as “white” to

attack Israel as a “white, colonial, settler” power, which ignores

and disavows the identity of millions of Sephardic and Mizrahi

Jews of color living in America, Israel, and around the world.

Jewish ﬁgures

theme \ 'joōiSH 'ﬁ-gyərs \

: the use of public Jewish ﬁgures to spread antisemitic ideas

about Jews as an overall group

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Much like the age-old theme of blaming Jews for disasters

across the world (see scapegoat), prominent Jewish ﬁgures

are often the victim of antisemitic rhetoric that’s actually

being pointed at all Jews.

By focusing attacks on a single person, antisemites create a

coded language in which that person’s name or face becomes

synonymous with dangerous antisemitic conspiracies or

tropes. These can include everything from a Jewish plan for

world domination to a Jewish puppet master who manipulates

international events and creates social conﬂict for his own gain.

Modern examples of this include rumors that George

Soros—a Hungarian-American of Jewish descent and well-

known billionaire—is paying members of a migrant “caravan”

Figure J7

A tweet shared in January 2018.

Figure J6

The 2020 Aalst Carnival theme:

“UNESCO: Controlled by the

Jews?”

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 17

to march on U.S. borders (see Soros). Or when Harvey

Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse is somehow linked to his

Jewish identity, spreading the antisemitic trope of “Jewish

sexual perversion.”

The Rothschilds, another prominent Jewish family, have even

been blamed for bad weather, natural disasters, and creating

“the concept of climate change” (see Rothschild, Figure J7).

Jewish lightning

theme \ 'joōiSH 'lītniNG \

: a derogatory phrase describing the act of burning down a

home or institution in order to collect the insurance money

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

“Jewish lightning,” like “Jew down,” is a phrase rooted in

Jewish stereotypes of stinginess and greed (see greed). The

faulty reasoning argues that because Jews love money and

are unwilling to spend it, they will commit insurance fraud.

Whether directed at Jews or non-Jews (this term is also

referred to as “Greek lightning” or “Irish lightning” depending

on the area), it is an ethnic slur that should be condemned.

Jewish lobby

theme \ 'joōiSH 'läbē \

: Jewish interest groups that engage in lobbying to seek

inﬂuence on a particular issue

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Lobbying groups by deﬁnition use their money to support

speciﬁc causes. Individual Jewish groups use money through

contributions, including campaign contributions, to draw

support for various missions and causes, as do tens of

thousands of other American lobbies and interest groups.

There is no one “Jewish lobby” that speaks for the Jewish

community. While some people use “Jewish Lobby” and

“Israel Lobby” interchangeably and have no antisemitic

intentions when saying “Jewish Lobby,” the phrase serves as

a dog whistle for those who believe Jews control politics (see

control). When “Jewish Lobby” is purposefully invoked to

describe Jewish control of Washington, then that is antisemitic.

Figure J8

A tweet shared in June 2020.

Jews blamed for the

2019 Notre Dame fire

Figure J9

A tweet shared in August 2020.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 18

Judas/30 pieces of silver

person, theme \ joōDUS/ 'THərdē pēses ‘äv 'silvər \

: in the Christian Bible, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ

for 30 pieces of silver

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s 12 disciples, received 30

pieces of silver to betray Jesus to the religious authorities.

Although Jesus and all 12 disciples were Jews, the Western

world—through art, literature, music, and tradition—chose to

depict Judas as the Jew who sold out his Savior for money.

Thus, the name Judas became synonymous with traitor,

contributing to the persecution of Jewish communities for

two millennia. This false and libelous narrative would feed

into Hitler’s propaganda and the Holocaust.

Khazars

people \ kə'zär \

: a people once existing as a nation in the Caucasus and

southeastern Russia

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

In the 6th century CE, the Khazars—an obscure warlike tribe

in Turkistan [present day Kazakhstan]—fought for land that

was ultimately overtaken by Southern Russia and Ukraine.

Despite the decline in population and territorial defeat, the

Khazars continued to be mentioned throughout history—

especially as one of the ﬁrst groups to adopt Judaism.

By the 8th or 9th century, antisemitic conspiracy theories

began forming around the Khazars’ reported conversion

to Judaism. This spurred antisemitic beliefs that they were

building a secret empire which sought widespread control

through ﬁnancial gains (see Figure K1).

Given that the Khazars moved into and settled in Eastern

Europe, antisemites push the conspiracy that Ashkenzai

Jews—Jews descending from Eastern Europe—are not “real

Jews” and are working to inﬁltrate other nations on their quest

for world domination (see “not the real Jews”). The Khazar

trope is also used to undermine the Jewish connection to

Israel, and therefore Israel’s right to exist, because it falsely

says Jews originated from the northern Caucasus region and

were part of the Turkic empire—and not the Land of Israel (see

Figure K2).

Figure K1

A social post from June 2019.

Figure K2

A tweet shared in February

2018.

Figure J10

A tweet shared in June 2020.

Antisemitic reference to

Judas and Jews as traitors

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 19

kosher tax

conspiracy \ 'kō-shər 'taks \

: the idea that food companies and consumers are forced to

pay money to support the Jewish religion or Zionist causes

and Israel through the costs of kosher certiﬁcation

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Many Jews adhere to religious dietary restrictions, which

govern the slaughter of animals and the ingredients and

production of various foodstus. To assist them, these

products are usually marked with a symbol attesting to the

fact that they are kosher, such as and .

The kosher tax conspiracy theory states that this kosher

certiﬁcation of products is an extra tax collected from

unwitting consumers for the beneﬁt of Jewish organizations. It

is mainly spread by antisemitic and white supremacist groups,

who claim this to be a “Kosher tax” (or “Jewish tax") that is

“extorted” from food companies wishing to avoid a boycott

and used to support Zionist causes or the State of Israel.

New World Order

conspiracy \ 'nü 'wər(-ə)ld 'or-dər \

: the conspiracy of a small group of powerful individuals

working in secret to establish all-powerful control

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

The New World Order conspiracy theory becomes antisemitic

when it’s followed by a reference to a Jewish business leader

or political ocial with a secret agenda who’s seeking global

control.

A widely-used conspiracy theory made popular in the 20th

century, the term centers on a cabal of world leaders using

the global stage to create an almighty, totalitarian regime

that strips people of their individual liberties and consolidates

power at the very top (see cabal).

The conspiracy theory behind the New World Order involving

Jewish leaders is based on the idea that Jews have formed

a power structure in which they control every aspect of

humankind—the economy, media, and political landscape (see

control).

Figure N1

A tweet shared in October

2019.

Figure K3

A sticker circulated by

antisemites to be placed on

kosher items in stores.

“ ”

"Jewish tax"

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 20

“not the real Jews”

theme \ nät thə ‘rē(ə)l joōs \

: a phrase claiming that Jews are not God’s chosen people as

outlined in the Bible

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

While this phrase has been used by many throughout history,

today it is most commonly used by Black supremacists

claiming Black people—not Jews—are the true chosen people

of God. Black supremacy has roots in “Black Chosenness”—

the belief that African Americans are the descendants of the

twelve Hebrew tribes of Israel who settled across Africa after

the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel and were eventually

sold into slavery during the Atlantic slave trade.

Black supremacy argues that Black people are superior to all

other races and that “white” Jews are imposters. Elements

of Black supremacy can be found within the Black Hebrew

Israelite movement, as well as within Nation of Islam under

the leadership of Louis Farrakhan and his supporters. In the

age of social media, some Black supremacists have co-opted

the language of white supremacists when discussing Jews:

calling them “termites” and “bugs” with subhuman features

(see creatures).

Some antisemites on both the right and left claim that

Ashkenazi Jews are “fake Jews,” and that Israel is a “fake

nation.” This accusation has been used historically and

continues to be used by those who believe in the Khazar

conspiracy theory dispelling the Jewish connection to Israel

(see Khazar).

poisoning the well

trope \ 'poiz(ə)niNG thə wel \

: a smear tactic in which an opponent introduces negative

information about their adversaries in order to discredit them.

The term derives from the ancient war tactic of poisoning an

opponent’s water to diminish his strength

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

“Poisoning the well,” an accusation rooted in the 14th century

Bubonic Plague, blames Jews for purposefully spreading

disease. As the Black Death spread across Europe, Jews were

accused of spreading the infection through common drinking

wells. Thousands of innocent Jews were murdered in response.

This trope can be found on all sides of the political spectrum—

from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, which accused Jews of being

“vermin” and spreading bacteria, to Nation of Islam leader

Louis Farrakhan’s diatribes labeling Jews as “termites” also

spreading disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jews

Figure P1

Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu holding a piece of

bread for peace doves that he

is poisoning with liquid from

a bottle labeled "settlement

construction,” Stuttgarter

Zeitung, 2013.

Prime Minister Netanyahu

is depicted poisoning the

peace process

Figure N2

A tweet shared in September

2020.

Figure N3

An Instagram post shared in

April 2014

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 21

were blamed by alternative ﬁgures on various far-right fringe

platforms for creating and/or purposefully spreading COVID-19.

This trope reached a more mainstream audience on the far-left,

where political cartoons and statements were made saying

Israel (or “Zionists”) created COVID-19 in order to hurt the

Palestinians and/or proﬁt o the vaccine.

Protocols of the Elders of Zion

conspiracy \ 'prō-tə-,kol 'äv thə 'el-dər 'äv 'zī-ən \

: a fraudulent document attributed to the secret police of

Tsarist Russia, ﬁrst disseminated in the early 20th century and

still circulated today, that serves as a pretext and rationale for

antisemitism

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Protocols of the Elders of Zion—written by the Russian secret

police in early 20th century—incorporates much of what we

know to be classic antisemitic themes and supports the trope

that Jews seek world domination, using their "invisible hand"

to enslave the rest of mankind.

The book spun tales of a conspiracy that Jews were

collaborating clandestinely to use their international

inﬂuence in the media and economy to take over the world

and encourage the downfall of societal norms through

communism, gambling, labor unions, and music.

Russian leadership used the Protocols of the Elders of Zion

text to scapegoat Jews as the reason for widespread poverty

and suering (see scapegoat).

In the mid-1920s, Henry Ford brought this text to the United

States and published excerpts alongside articles in The

Dearborn Independent, a newspaper he owned. Through this

eort, he propagated antisemitic falsehoods that Jews were

using ideals of communism and their control over ﬁnancial

institutions to damage the U.S. economy and cause moral

harm to the American people (see Jewish communist).

Today, Protocols of the Elders of Zion can still be found in

translation across the world (see Figure P3)—including in

many Arab nations where it’s sold as an authoritative text.

Figure P3

An Amazon listing for the

Protocols of the Learned Elders

of Zion paperback.

Figure P2

An Instagram post shared in

July 2014.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 22

QAnon

conspiracy \ 'kyoo ən än \

: a loosely organized, far-right network of people who

believe the world is controlled by a satanic cabal of

pedophiles and cannibals, made up of politicians (mostly

Democrats), mainstream media, journalists, and Hollywood

entertainers. This cabal is accused of controlling a “deep-

state” government whose purpose is to undermine and attack

President Donald Trump and his supporters

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish elites, globalists,

and bankers are part and parcel of the QAnon belief system,

and George Soros and the Rothschilds are consistent

targets (see Soros, Rothschild). The use of children in the

conspiracy—the need to rescue children from the hands of

the powerful globalists—harkens back to medieval blood libel

accusations against Jews (see blood libel).

QAnon emerged in October 2017 when anonymous messages

appeared on 4chan, an online messaging board used by the

far-right. “Q” refers to the top security clearance of the U.S.

Department of Energy, while “Anon” references the anonymity

of the Q source. “Q” is believed to be a government insider,

revealing secrets to his/her followers.

QAnon conspiracy theorists are waiting for the “Storm”—the

mass arrest of people in power—and the Great Awakening,

where everyone will realize the QAnon theory is the truth. In

May 2019, the FBI identiﬁed QAnon as a potential domestic

terrorist threat.

Rothschild

person \ rōt SHild \

: a wealthy Jewish family whose banking business dates back

to the 18th century Holy Roman Empire

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

The Rothschilds are a Jewish banking family who have been

accused of secretly controlling the economy, manipulating the

weather, and proﬁting from wars. “Rothschild” has become a

generic term for greedy and manipulative Jewish billionaires

(see Jewish ﬁgures, greed).

In the mid-19th century, French antisemite Georges Dairnvaell,

under the pseudonym “Satan,” published a pamphlet alleging

Figure R1

An antisemitic cartoon

centered on the Rothschild

family, 2015.

Antisemitic cartoon depicting the

Rothschilds as a pig feeding countries’

intelligence services, including

Islamist terrorist groups.

Figure Q2

A tweet shared in 2020, using

QAnon slogan #WWG1WGA

(“Where we go one, we go all.”)

QAnon followers are encouraged to

become “digital soldiers” and take

an oath pledging support to the

cause. On July 4, 2020, Michael Flynn,

former National Security Advisor

to President Trump, posted a video

online of a small group, including

himself, taking this oath.”

Figure Q1

Twitter account proﬁle of

@Qanon76.

QANON'S MOTTO IS "WHERE WE GO ONE, WE GO

ALL" OFTEN WRITTEN AS WWG1WGA.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 23

Nathan Rothschild witnessed France’s defeat in the Battle

of Waterloo in 1815 and returned to London before the news

broke to make 20 million francs on the stock exchange. All of

this was false. Rothschild was not at Waterloo (or Belgium),

nor did he proﬁt from the battle. Despite being provably false,

the Satan pamphlet was reprinted and translated into many

languages. The Rothschild family (and by extension Jews) were

blamed for economic crises and wars for the next 200 years.

Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, produced

“Die Rothschilds Aktien auf Waterloo” in 1940 as part

of Nazi Germany’s antisemitic propaganda campaign.

Conspiracy theorists in Iraq recently blamed the Rothschilds

for the COVID-19 pandemic. Louis Farrakhan’s speech, The

Conspiracy of the International Bankers, claims the Rothschild

banks are members of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York,

which they are not.

The most malicious of conspiracies about the Rothschilds is that

they orchestrated the Holocaust to gain sympathy for Jews in

order to create the State of Israel (see Holocaust denial).

Satan

noun \ 'seit(ə)n \

: also known as the Devil, Satan is the Western personiﬁcation

of evil. Within Christianity, Satan is also referred to as the

tempter, the ruler of demons, and the father of lies

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Referring to Jews as Satan or the devil stems from the

interpretation of John 8:41-44 in the Christian Bible. Here

Jesus says to his fellow Jews, “For you are the children of your

father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does….

When [the devil] lies, it is consistent with his character; for he

is a liar and the father of lies.”

In medieval Christian folklore and artwork, Jews were depicted

with grotesque characteristics such as devil’s horns, sharp

claws, jagged teeth, pointy ears, and other satanic features to

portray the dierences between Christianity and Judaism.

Today Jews, and the Jewish State, continue to be cast as

Satan, demons, vampires, or other demonic ﬁgures. Like the

deicide charge, antisemitic elements from Christian tradition

have been recycled in the Muslim world (see deicide charge).

Israel is demonized and, like the devil, viewed as the “source

of evil” in the world. The Islamic Republic of Iran openly calls

for Israel’s destruction and refers to the country as the “Little

Satan.” Louis Farrakhan has come under ﬁre for ranting about

“unmasking the satanic Jew and the synagogue of satan.”

Figure S1

A cartoon shared in Qatari

newspaper al-Watan in July

2002.

The Star of David being used to make the

devil Jewish, with the face of former

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Figure S2

“The Pope,” al-Hayat al-Jadida,

March 22, 2000.

A Satanic-looking Jewish figure labeled

'Israeli Colonialism' replies to the Pope’s

words “May there be peace throughout

the Land,” with “May there be settlements

throughout the Land.”

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 24

scapegoat

theme \ 'skāp-,gōt \

: one that bears the blame for others

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

The story of the scapegoat is derived from the book of

Leviticus in the Torah, and is translated from the Hebrew word

‘ăzāzêl, meaning “absolute removal.” It is said that every year

on Yom Kippur, collective grievances and sins are placed onto

a physical goat that is sacriﬁced, as a symbol of the washing

away and casting aside of wrongdoing.

Antisemites have been using Jews as “scapegoats” for

thousands of years, blaming them for deicide, the murder

of Christ, and even the Bubonic plague in the Middle Ages

(see deicide, Figure D2). Over the past several hundred

years, antisemitism has slanderously assigned blame to Jews

for world events such as Germany’s loss in World War I—

giving rise to Hitler and the Holocaust—and even 9/11 and

the ﬁnancial crisis in 2008 due to the perceived control of

ﬁnancial institutions (see conspiracy theory, control).

silencing

theme \ 'sīlənsiNG\

: prohibit or prevent from speaking

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

One of the longest standing antisemitic attacks leveled

against Jews is the “silencing” of their opponents. The false

claim that Jews deem any criticism of Israel or the Jewish

people as antisemitic, and wield the power of the antisemitic

label to silence the opposition, is oensive and dangerous

for productive discourse. The idea of “silencing” speech plays

into the commonly used trope of “Jewish control” with the

false accusation that all discourse that criticizes the policies

of Israel should cease to exist in order for the State of Israel to

remain powerful.

It is yet another example of the nonsensical way in which

Jews are both blamed for silencing their critics and accused

of perpetrating hateful rhetoric by speaking out against them

in order to gain sympathy.

Figure S4

A tweet shared in June 2014.

Figure S3

A tweet shared in April 2018.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 25

slavery / slave trade

noun \ ‘sleiv(ə)ri \ ‘slāv trād \

: the practice of owning slaves, people who are forced to work

with little or no pay and are denied physical freedom or the

opportunity to leave

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

The claim that Jews controlled or made up a signiﬁcant

portion of the Atlantic Slave Trade is false. The Council of the

American Historical Association (AHA) “condemns as false

any statement alleging that Jews played a disproportionate

role in the exploitation of slave labor or in the Atlantic slave

trade.” While some Jews with resources owned slaves, as

did wealthy people of all backgrounds, it was by no means

widespread within the Jewish community.

This trope has been spread by the far-right and far-left,

from David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan wizard, to Louis

Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI). The claim

was popularized in Farrakhan’s 1991 publication The Secret

Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Volume One, and has

most recently resurfaced within segments of the Black Lives

Matter (BLM) Movement to prevent Jews from taking part in

the protest movement.

smirking merchant

meme \ t'hə 'smərkiNG 'mər-chənt \

: an antisemitic cartoon portraying a Jew based on

stereotypes and tropes

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Visually, the smirking merchant cartoon, also known as the

happy merchant meme, relies heavily on derogatory Jewish

stereotypes—a large hooked nose, a scheming smirk and

pose, frizzy hair, and grimy beard (see Jewish features).

As the most popular antisemitic image online, the smirking

merchant is also used to symbolize both traditional and

modern-day tropes, including Jewish control over the world,

Jewish greed, Holocaust denial, and a general blame for white

supremacy hot topics like “race-mixing,” feminism, and the

LGBTQ community.

While originally created as part of a racist and antisemitic

cartoon, the smirking merchant joined other bigoted memes—

e.g., antisemitic versions of trollface and Pepe the Frog—on

popular, far-right sites like 4chan, 8kun (previously 8chan),

and Gab.

Figure S5

A tweet shared in June 2020.

Claims that Jews made up the

majority of slave owners is

malicious and false.

Figure S6

Antisemitic Facebook

comment using the smirking

merchant meme.

Hooked

Nose

SIGNIFIES

GREED

EVIL,

SCHEMING

SMILE

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 26

Soros

person \ ‘sORos \

: refers to Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor George Soros,

a billionaire philanthropist, who was born Jewish, and

champions liberal and progressive causes

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

George Soros is viliﬁed in some quarters of the world (and

revered in others) for supporting progressive causes such as

immigration and criminal justice reform. In the U.S., George

Soros has been charged by the far-right with funding Black

Lives Matter protests and migrant caravans to the southern U.S.

border. He is also the namesake of the anti-migrant legislation

in his native Hungary (the so-called “Stop Soros law,” which

criminalizes aiding migrants).

Criticizing Soros or his politics and actions is not antisemitic.

Indeed, those who have suggested that any criticism is

antisemitic do real disservice to the cause of ﬁghting Jew-

hatred. However, when Soros is used as a symbol for Jewish

control, wealth, and power, the criticism may be an updated

version of traditional antisemitic tropes (see conspiracy

theory, control, Jewish ﬁgures).

Unfortunately, hatred of George Soros has not remained

solely on the Internet. In October 2018, a far-right agitator

sent a bomb to his house, as part of a string of bomb threats

against prominent Democrats.

“Zionism is racism”

theme / 'zīə.nizəm iz 'rā,sizəm /

: refers to United Nations Resolution 3379 in 1975, in which the

General Assembly linked Zionism and the State of Israel, to

racism and racial discrimination. This was overturned in 1991

making it one of only two resolutions ever revoked by the UN

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Prior to 1948, Zionism was an aspiration—the national liberation

movement of the Jewish people, founded by Theodore Herzl

in the late 19th century, to re-establish a Jewish nation as a

solution to the antisemitism Jews faced in Europe. After 1948

until today, Zionism became a reality: a homeland not only to

persecuted European Jews, but Jews from all over the globe,

including Jews ﬂeeing persecution from the Soviet Union, the

Arab world, Turkey, Iran, India, and Ethiopia, amongst others.

Israel is one of the most diverse countries in the world with

over half of its population being from Africa and other areas

of the Middle East. The vast majority of Jews around the world

identify as Zionists, meaning they support the existence of

Israel as a Jewish State in the historic Land of Israel.

Figure S7

A tweet shared in Sept. 2020.

Figure Z1

The Secretary of Iran's

Supreme National Security

Council claimed that racist

Zionism should be the most

concerned about "the collapse

of racist symbols." June 2020.

Connecting Zionism to racism

conveys that Jews do not have

a right to self-determination

Figure S8

A tweet shared in March 2020.

Soros is often used as a

symbol of Jewish control

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 27

Figure Z2

A tweet shared in September

2019.

1. Labelling Jews as “the other”

2. Widely used

antisemitic conspiracies

3. Using Jews as a scapegoat

Figure Z3

A tweet shared in August 2020.

The Soviet Union led the eort to link Zionism to racism,

basing their accusations on the notorious Protocols of the

Elders of Zion and arguing that Judaism’s concept of “the

chosen people” promoted racial superiority. This deliberate

slur interpolated and distorted the real meaning of Judaism

which explains the Jewish people are ‘chosen,’ or set apart,

for special and burdensome religious and social obligations.

Other states from Cuba to the Arab world repeated these

slurs and criticized Jews and Israel by using the phrase

“Zionism is racism,” often taking the discrimination practiced

historically against Jews as individuals and employing it

against their collective identity.

Criticizing speciﬁc Israeli government policies as discriminatory

or racist is not antisemitic. However, saying “Zionism is

racism,” a phrase which itself is a racist and religious distortion,

conveys that the Jewish people—unlike all other people in the

world—do not have a right to self-determination. The phrase

also denigrates the Jewish State and belittles the diversity

of Jewish life in Israel. Famed Soviet Nobel Peace Laureate

Andrei Sakharov warned that this resolution would “contribute

to antisemitic tendencies in many countries by giving them the

appearance of international legality.”

Zionist / “Zio”

noun / 'zīənəst / ‘zīō /

: a supporter of Zionism; a person who believes in the

development and protection of a Jewish nation in its historic

homeland of Israel

WHEN IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

Zionism is a movement and ideology to reestablish and

support the existence of a Jewish state in the Biblical Land

of Israel. A Zionist is someone who supports Jews’ right to

self-determination in their historic homeland and Israel’s right

to exist. However, antisemites often use “Zionist” or “Zio” as

shorthand for “Jew,” while many antisemites attempt to cloak

their hate by claiming to be merely “anti-Zionists” (see Figure

Z3). Notably, anti-Zionism—the belief that the Jewish people

do not have the right to a national home in their ancestral

homeland (e.g. that the State of Israel should not exist)—is

itself widely believed by Jews to be a form of antisemitism.

Anti-Zionism can also spread antisemitic conspiracy theories.

For example, referring to Zionism and Judaism interchangeably

blames Jewish people for the actions and policies of the State

of Israel, which furthers conspiracy theories about control and

world domination (see Figure Z2).

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 28

Zionist Occupied Government (ZOG)

conspiracy /'zīə,nizt 'äkyə,pīd 'gəvər(n)mənt (zôg) /

: white supremacist belief declaring the U.S. government is

controlled by Jews

WHY IT’S ANTISEMITIC:

ZOG is a white supremacist theory that believes Jews

(“Zionists”) secretly control Western politics (see conspiracy

theory, control). The term ﬁrst appeared in the 1970s in the

U.S. and is found on white supremacist sites such as Aryan

Nations and National Alliance. By manipulating Western

governments, antisemites claim ZOG controls the world

economy, limits free speech, conﬁscates land, and usurps

military and police forces. The phrase “Zionist occupiers”

is also used by antisemites on the far-left and by Islamists,

seeking to destroy Israel.

Figure Z4

A tweet shared in August 2020.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 29

Deﬁning Antisemitism

The purpose of Translate Hate is to provide visuals and

explanations of the diversity of sources of contemporary

antisemitism. Recognizing and deﬁning antisemitism go

hand in hand. The tropes and themes referenced here are

all encompassed within the authoritative International

Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Deﬁnition

of Antisemitism, recommended by the European Council,

the European Parliament, the UN Secretary General,

the Organization of American States, and dozens of

governments around the world, including the United States.

To eectively ﬁght antisemitism, we must deﬁne it. Here is

the deﬁnition in full:

On 26 May 2016, the IHRA Plenary decided to adopt

the following non legally binding working deﬁnition of

Antisemitism:

Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may

be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and

physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed

toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their

property, toward Jewish community institutions and

religious facilities.

To guide IHRA in its work, the following examples may serve

as illustrations: Manifestations might include the targeting of

the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However,

criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other

country cannot be regarded as antisemitic. Antisemitism

frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity,

and it is often used to blame Jews for “why things go wrong.”

It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms and action, and

employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.

Contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the

media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere

could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are

not limited to:

• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews

in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of

religion.

• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or

stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power

of Jews as collective—such as, especially but not exclusively,

the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews

controlling the media, economy, government or other

societal institutions.

• Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or

imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person

or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 3030

• Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers)

or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the

hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and

accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).

• Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of

inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.

• Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or

to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the

interests of their own nations.

• Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination,

e.g., by claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a

racist endeavor.

• Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not

expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.

• Using the symbols and images associated with classic

antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel)

to characterize Israel or Israelis.

• Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that

of the Nazis.

• Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state

of Israel.

Antisemitic acts are criminal when they are so deﬁned by

law (for example, denial of the Holocaust or distribution of

antisemitic materials in some countries).

Criminal acts are antisemitic when the targets of attacks,

whether they are people or property—such as buildings,

schools, places of worship and cemeteries—are selected

because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish or linked to

Jews.

Antisemitic discrimination is the denial to Jews of

opportunities or services available to others and is illegal in

many countries.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 31

How to Report Hate

REPORT HATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

We can all play a role in reducing online hate. Don’t be silent

when you see an instance of antisemitism or other forms of

hatred on social media. Report it to the platform directly.

1. Tap options symbol (dots, arrow, carrot) on the post, proﬁle,

or comment.

2. Tap Report.

3. Select the reason (hateful conduct, hate speech,

inappropriate) as listed on the platform.

Not seeing what you’re looking for? Find more direct

information from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Help.twitter.com then click “Abuse” then “Report abusive

behavior”

Facebook.com/Help then click “Policies and Reporting” then

“Reporting Abuse”

Help.Instagram.com and search “Abuse and Spam”

Support.tiktok.com then click “Safety” then “Report a Problem”

But what if the platform doesn’t take it down? We may not

be able to remove all antisemitic posts, but we can and will

have our voices heard. With every report, we shed light on

antisemitic behavior—getting us a step closer to stopping it.

REPORT HATE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Talk to Law Enforcement

Check www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/get-help-now for help on

reporting hate crimes and incidents to your local police and

the FBI.

WHAT YOU CAN DO WHEN INCIDENTS OF HATE OCCUR

Report it.

Speak out and be an ally. Consider a prompt, public statement

of condemnation to signal that online hate is unacceptable.

Use Translate Hate to explain why a post is antisemitic.

Hold the perpetrator accountable and demand a public

apology. Work to restore civility to the public discourse.

Reach out personally to those aected by online hate to show

solidarity.

Participate in coalitions and educate others about antisemitism.

Advocate for measures that help reporting and prosecution of

hate crimes.

Support funding for Jewish community security needs.

American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | February 2021 32

Conclusion

While this glossary is by no means an exhaustive account of

all the antisemitism present in our world, it captures the most

commonly used tropes and conspiracies. After all, antisemitism

is an ever-evolving threat, as are the most widely used tropes

that help it spread. Antisemitism continues to pose a direct

threat to democracy, democratic values, and human rights. It is

a problem for Jews and—even more critically—for non-Jews to

solve. Because antisemitism is a societal issue, our aim is to raise

public awareness of common forms of antisemitism and elevate

the debate on confronting this menace.

AJC.org/TranslateHate

33 | American Jewish Committee | The Translate Hate Glossary | January 2021