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In medieval times, Jews had to contend with blood libels and allegations that they were responsible for poisoned wells. Later, these accusations would come to include myths about Jewish control of the global centers of power, which were heightened with the publication of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Many of these antisemitic tropes or their derivatives persist today in the press, on social media, and in textbooks.  

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One of the most peculiar aspects of antisemitism is that it often manifests in societies in which there are no Jews. Antisemites allege that Jews, who only account for only 0.2% of the world’s population, control banks, the media, politics, and global institutions.

They slanderously charge that “Zionists” are perpetrating a genocide against Palestinians and are harvesting the organs of children. While many of these myths are spread today because of misinformation and the rapid news-cycle, they are rooted in centuries of hatred.

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These tropes, which are used to falsely malign the Jewish people, paint them as a homogeneous group aligned in their supposed desire for world domination. Thus, not only do they disparage the Jewish people with antisemitic accusations, but they also undermine the notion of the diversity of global Jewish community.