Urban Dictionary began in 1999 as a parody of the popular website Dictionary.com. A crowdsourcing website, urbandictionary.com allows users to upload words and phrases in real time; a team of moderators approves users’ submissions before allowing them on the site. The site has gained a devoted following, garnering over 65 million monthly visits, archived by the Library of Congress, and is a major reference for linguists studying English slang.
If Urban Dictionary is useful in giving a snapshot of the way language is used, then its current range of definitions is worrisome. Dozens of Jewish and Israel-related words and phrases have intensely negative definitions, depicting Jews and the Jewish state as venal, untrustworthy and dangerous.
Take the word “Jew” itself. Some mainstream definitions exist on the site, defining Jews as members of the Jewish religion and people. Many other definitions are offensive: “Synonym for screw over; to cheat or deceive someone;” “Term for someone who is rich and stingy; and “to jew someone out of money is basically short changing them.” Other words related to Jews display hurtful definitions: “Hebrew Jeebies” are “something you feel when a person of Jewish decent (sic) leaves you with an unsettled feeling.” “Kosher Casino” is defined as the stock market; one who makes money on the stock market “beat them at their own game,” apparently referring to Jews. “Jew Gold” is “a term for the small bag of gold that Jews wear around their neck… It has been scientifically proven that it is impossible to get a Jew to part with their jew gold.”
Post-October 7 Hatred
Urban Dictionary has contained multitudes of antisemitic content for years; recently, it’s got even worse. Since Hamas’ brutal terrorist incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and 240 Israelis kidnapped, Urban Dictionary’s definitions have taken an even darker turn.
“Israel” is now a verb, defined as: “The act of taking something that is not yours and then kicking out the rightful owner,” and “when a person tells you that your property is theirs (when it obviously isn’t).”
Urban Dictionary users are advised to say “I’ve been Israeled!” whenever they’ve been cheated out of something. Similarly, “Israeling” now means lying or cheating on someone: “My girlfriend lied…she was totally Israeling,” Urban Dictionary declares.
A contributor on the site who goes by the name Oxford Curriculum Reviewer goes even further, defining “Israeling” as “stepping over corpses” to steal what rightfully belongs to another person. All of these insulting definitions were approved by Urban Dictionary monitors.
Users on the site define “Israel” in numerous vulgar ways, giving definitions such as “wants to take over land that isn’t theres (sic),” defining Israel as not a real country, and calling Israel a brutal country which steals others’ land and history. Some post-October 7 definitions to the site betray a strange preoccupation with trying to prove that Jews living in Israel are somehow not “real” Jews or are not “Semites” (sometimes twisting themselves in knots trying to prove that hating Jews is therefore not antisemitic.)
Since October 7, the new word “Palestined” has arisen as with largely positive associations attributed to it. To be “Palesinted,” is: “To reclaim something that has been Israeled from you for so long.” Some users have posted more negative definitions, but the vast majority are positive. Users are given the sample sentence “I finally reclaimed my pen after that guy took it from me and claimed it as his!”
These offensive definitions are a snapshot of the way our language is evolving and indicate high levels of confusion about Israel and the Middle East.
Outlets such as Urban Dictionary don’t only reflect current trends in language, they help dictate it too. When users read that “to Israel” means to steal, that odious definition seems a little more plausible. When users know that speakers somewhere are using Jew in a derogatory way, then it becomes that much easier to utter anti-Jewish slurs themselves. Trends have a way of snowballing; as more and more users define Israel and Jewish-related words in negative ways, doing so will become ever easier and more likely.
Resisting the Rise in Hate Speech
There are a few ways we all can resist the rise in negative speech on Urban Dictionary and elsewhere. When it comes to urbandictionary.com, reach out to complain about antisemitic (and other offensive) definitions at info@urbandictionary.com and telephone 1 (415) 570-8721.
More generally, resolve to stand up to offensive or demeaning language. Object whenever you hear people or groups of people referred to in a derogatory way. Adopt a zero-tolerance policy, starting with the newest anti-Israel and anti-Jewish slurs that are being spread. Call out biased and inaccurate media reports which depict Israel as a cartoon villain, fueling the spread of anti-Israel slang. Speak up, educate your peers, blog, and tell people about the complexities behind the Israel-Hamas war.
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