Antisemitism online is nothing new—but the tactics used to spread it are evolving. At CyberWell, we’ve recently identified a disturbing trend: the weaponization of Jewish culture itself. Instead of relying solely on overt slurs or conspiracy theories, antisemitic users are increasingly co-opting and mocking elements of Jewish tradition—its language, music, and symbols—to sow hate through ridicule. While these moments might seem humorous or harmless on the surface, their cumulative impact is deeply harmful and far from insignificant.
These aren’t just jokes. They’re calculated forms of cultural distortion designed to dehumanize Jewish people, erase Jewish identity, and normalize antisemitism under the radar of many content moderation systems.
This trend doesn’t live solely within the context of specific geopolitical events; rather, it’s becoming a broader pattern across online discourse. Below are three concrete examples of how Jewish culture is being cynically used to spread hate—and why this weaponization is not just offensive, but dangerous.
1. Mocking the Phrase “Oy vey”
“Oy vey” is a Yiddish phrase steeped in generations of Jewish life. It’s a small but expressive part of a language that has survived displacement, persecution, and diaspora. This Yiddish phrase is traditionally used within Jewish communities to express dismay or exasperation.
While it is a culturally significant and benign expression, it has increasingly been co-opted in antisemitic online discourse. In these contexts, the phrase is often used mockingly or as a thinly veiled substitute for Jewish identity itself. It may appear alongside conspiratorial or dehumanizing content, serving either as a caricature of Jewish emotion or as part of broader efforts to scapegoat or generalize about Jews.
As such, the misuse of “Oy vey” reflects a broader trend of distorting Jewish cultural markers for the purpose of spreading hate or reinforcing antisemitic narratives online.
In antisemitic online spaces, it’s now being twisted into a caricature of Jewishness itself.
Users deploy “oy vey” not with understanding, but with mockery—pairing it with tropes about Jewish control, Jews being greedy and Holocaust denial and distortion. What was once a simple expression of exasperation is now being used to belittle Jewish identity and emotion.
Why this is harmful: Language is a key component of identity. By mocking Jewish vernacular, these users aren’t just poking fun—they’re devaluing the cultural richness and emotional humanity of Jewish communities. It’s a dehumanization tactic dressed up as humor, and it makes antisemitic content more shareable, less obviously hateful, and more palatable to mainstream audiences.
2. Misuse of “Hava Nagila”
“Hava Nagila” is a joyful celebration of Jewish life—often heard at weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and communal gatherings. Its melody is meant to unite, uplift, and remind Jewish communities of their resilience and joy. But online, that celebratory power has been perverted by some antisemites.
In one example, “Hava Nagila” plays over a video promoting the (false) antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews were allegedly responsible for the assassination of JFK. This serves as an indicator that the reference is to Jews. Through use of this song, the creator of this post blames or targets Jews in a hateful context, without stating so explicitly. The song’s positive connotation is used ironically, creating a jarring cognitive dissonance that mocks Jewish culture while advancing hateful narratives and the Hava Nagila song is used as a coded way to convey that message.
Why this is harmful: Weaponizing music is a psychological tactic—it pairs auditory familiarity with visual hate, increasing emotional engagement and memory retention. It also functions as a “trojan horse”: the viewer is drawn in by the music, only to be met with dangerous hate speech. It’s a method of softening the delivery of hate while increasing its reach and impact and avoiding content moderation or detection. The above example reached more than 50,000 likes before being escalated by CyberWell to TikTok’s team for violating their Community Guidelines.
3. The Phrase “Promised 3,000 Years Ago”
Perhaps the most surreal trend we’ve tracked involves the phrase “Promised 3,000 years ago,” often used in AI-generated or meme-style videos, and is also referenced in a mocking or derogatory context in social media posts and comments. These clips show caricatured Jewish figures claiming ownership of absurd objects—such as soft drinks, vehicles, even entire planets—under the sarcastic justification that they were “promised” 3,000 years ago. Most of the “3,000 years ago” content also incorporates the song Hava Nagila.
CyberWell has flagged over 100 examples of this trend to Meta, which have not been removed, including a video posted to Instagram by Mohamed Hadid to his 1.5 million followers (see the screenshot, below). As per the trend, the video depicts a series of AI-generated scenarios in which a series of visibly Jewish men claim items from other people under the guise that “it was promised to them 3,000 years ago.” These claims include personal items like a watch and get increasingly more ridiculous. Other items said to be “promised (to the Jews) 3,000 years ago” include a house, a shower, a soccer stadium – and even someone’s baby.
Around the one-minute mark in the Hadid video above, the claims then delve into mocking victims of the Holocaust as an AI-generated character dressed as a Jewish man states, “I was promised 6,000,000 followers on TikTok 3,000 years ago.” This statement pokes fun of the number six million, which is significant because six million is globally recognized as the estimated number of Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the single most significant atrocity against the Jewish people and the worst genocide of the 20th century, reducing their global population by roughly 33%, while also utilizing the “3,000 years” promise trend.
Some antisemitic videos use crude humor—like fart jokes layered over claims of Jewish ownership—to push the narrative that Jews are greedy by laying claim to the most absurd things. By pairing this absurdity with bodily humor, these videos attempt to normalize conspiracy theories, making them more palatable and shareable under the guise of comedy.
This narrative trivializes the profound religious and historical ties Jews have to the land of Israel, mocks the victims of the Holocaust, and turns Jewish pain into a punchline. It implies that Jews manipulate ancient claims to assert dominance, making the phrase shorthand for illegitimacy, greed, and delusion.
Likewise, this example below found on Facebook, uses AI generated imagery to show Jewish men taking over strangers’ homes – and even picking a brisket up with tongs off one homeowner’s grill – claiming it was “promised to him 3,000 years ago.”
Due to trending audio and the ability to share content, CyberWell has identified at least 100 separate posts on Meta utilizing the same fabricated audio and video.
Why this is harmful: Satire has long been used to punch up against power, cope with life and even be self-deprecating. But when it punches down—mocking a historically persecuted people, currently being targeted by a violent wave of hatred—this time being reinforced by far-spreading engagement algorithms it can spread dehumanizing narratives under the guise of humor. The underlying message is that Jews are greedy, an old and deeply antisemitic stereotype. By reducing Jewish history and culture to memetic jokes, these videos encourage viewers to increasingly view Jews, their history, and their culture as bizarre and unhuman.
Why This Matters: The Line Between Mockery and Hate
At first glance, these trends may look like edgy memes or bad jokes. But their true function is far more insidious. Weaponizing Jewish culture serves several harmful purposes:
Normalization of Hate
These videos blend humor with bigotry, softening the blow of antisemitism and making it more socially acceptable. They help desensitize audiences to hate, especially younger users who consume content primarily through memes and short-form videos.
Avoidance of Platform Moderation
Because this content doesn’t always contain slurs or overt calls to violence, it often escapes automated moderation and community reporting. On some platforms, this type of content isn’t considered violative at all. The core challenge with this type of content is that platforms often fail to recognize or properly address cynical or satirical content that doesn’t express explicit hatred, but instead conveys it implicitly, often through humor or irony and disgust. That gives it longer shelf life—and greater reach.
Dehumanization
Mockery is a key step in the process of dehumanizing a group. If Jewish language, music, and history are presented as inherently ridiculous or manipulative, it becomes easier for audiences to accept harmful stereotypes or even justify more direct forms of hate.
Radicalization
Humor and satire can act as entry points into more extreme content because of its emotional nature. This type of content is meant to evoke a powerful emotion through laughter, anger or disgust. Emotional content is the type of content that is most shared and promoted though platform algorithms, which exposes more people to it… and as more people are more frequently exposed to these themes, it builds an audience’s tolerance for antisemitism and other forms of hate over time.
What We’re Doing—and How You Can Help
At CyberWell, we believe that protecting Jewish communities online means more than flagging slurs, antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories and taking down violent threatsIt means recognizing how culture itself can be weaponized—and ensuring that platforms are engaged when shifts in language and humor are meant to spread harm. During the current wave of record incidents of violence against the Jewish community, engagement and full accountability for effective enforcement against new trends like this are crucial.
Our monitoring systems, research, and partnerships with platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are aimed at identifying these trends in real-time, documenting them, and ensuring their removal. But we can’t do it alone.
We urge you join us in our mission by sharing this blog. Report hateful content through our platform at app.cyberwell.org and help us educate others on the evolving landscape of online antisemitism.
🛡 Jewish culture is not a meme. While it is absolutely possible to make fun of Jewish culture and religion, it’s important to do so in a way that’s humorous, not hateful. When there is hateful intent or dangerous messaging beneath the humor, that’s when the jokes have the potential to spread harm. Learn more by reading through our publications and join us in keeping digital spaces safer for all.
