The New Language of Antisemitism

Several times each year, different news sources or social media influencers put together a list of the newest slang. People not young or cool enough have learned the meanings behind words such as "rizz," "bet," and "skibidi" through these channels over the last 25 years.

You may remember when you first became aware of internet slang and abbreviations that started on instant messaging platforms before they migrated into everyday use through texting and other mediums. There are several apocryphal stories about older generations misusing "lol," thinking it meant "lots of love" instead of "laughing out loud." Imagine, as one story goes, seeing that in a text about a relative's death.

Though having the ability to decode younger people's conversation is helpful, it's not always necessary. Knowing which teacher they think is boring or which student is seen as cool may seem less relevant than knowing the deadline for field trip money or when the bus leaves in the morning.

Just as slang is fluid, so are words and symbols of hate. This isn't just directed at kids and teenagers. Some symbols, like the swastika or caricatures of Jewish people with big noses and small eyes, have been around for a long time. Some common or widely tolerated insults or racial/ethnic slurs, like "kike," seem to disappear and then resurface. The past several years have brought us "HH," which stands for "Heil Hitler," or "88," a numerical representation of the same expression, as H is the 8^th letter of the alphabet. In 2025 and 2026, there has been an upsurge in the use of a juice box emoji to represent Jews, capitalizing on the similar sound of "juice" and "Jews." The antisemitic epithet "jill kews" trades the first letter of each word to get past social media censoring algorithms.

A term first seen in 2016 that has recently gained popularity is "goyslop." It is said to have originated among young, white nationalist video gamers. Now, it has been spread by popular far right influencers like Nick Fuentes. The term is formed by combining two words. In Hebrew, the word "goy" simply means "nation;" in Yiddish, it has come to be a derogatory term for a non-Jewish person. "Slop," in this case, carries the meaning of unhealthy or unappealing food. This combination of words refers to a conspiracy that Jewish people control the fast food and/or junk food industries, which they promote to the non-Jewish community specifically to make them unhealthy. "ZOGslop," with the first letters standing for "Zionist Occupied Government," is a less-common variant.

After October 7^th, the watermelon emoji gained traction on western social media as a symbol of Palestinian support and/or anti-Israel sentiment. The watermelon is a long-held symbol of Palestinian resistance, as it has the same colors as the Palestinian flag. Once knowledge of the symbol became widespread, some worried that every watermelon they saw was a signal of political ideals. In some cases, it was, but in others, it was a signal that the farmers' market had fresh watermelons for sale.

There are several agencies that track hate speech and symbols. If you'd like to learn more about something you see and discover whether it is antisemitic or hateful to another historically oppressed minority, check the following sources:

• The Global Extremist Symbols Database, which is searchable by ideology and sponsored by The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.
• Hate on Display, a printable database of hate symbols published by the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism. This resource can be shared with parent groups, schools, local government, and law enforcement officials.

These are just two organizations working to counteract antisemitism with information. The idea that knowledge is power is often attributed to philosopher Sir Francis Bacon, but over one thousand years earlier, Jewish scholars wrote, "Who is wise? The person who learns from everyone" (Pirkei Avot 4:4). The real power to address antisemitism lies with everyday people like you and me. Keeping abreast of the ever-evolving terminology of hate let us protect ourselves and our community.