In 2022, we founded CyberWell, an independent, tech-rooted nonprofit combating the spread of antisemitism online, and simultaneously launched the first-ever open database of online antisemitism. At the time, Kanye West's public meltdown, blatant attacks on Jewish people and the spikes in online antisemitism that ensued were considered watershed moments in online antisemitism and were routinely condemned — but the nightmarish past year of surging Jew-hatred in both digital and offline spaces make Ye’s antisemitism look like a blip in the wave of celebrity-fueled antisemitic hate culture.

The year 2024 was marked by additional celebrities and internet personalities getting on the antisemitism train, no pun intended, openly participating in Holocaust denial, Oct. 7 denial, conspiracy theories blaming the Jews for everything including assassinating JFK, and falsely characterizing Judaism as a satanic and pedophilic cult. These old and deeply anti-Jewish ideas were promoted by the likes of Candace Owens, Dan Bilzerian, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack and others. While the concern about celebrities, athletes and influencers using their voice to promote Jew-hatred is rooted in their large fan bases, the assets with the largest following are the engagement algorithms of our favorite social media platforms.

The past year was the worst in online antisemitism for a simple but alarming reason: a new prevalence in overt hostility and calls to violence against Jewish people, heightened by the widespread sharing of and reveling in graphic social media posts showcasing the blood, gore,........

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