General Terms
Please find a list of terms, phrases and claims that are often misused, misunderstood or used as a vehicle for antisemitism. Often, when discussing difficult or complex topics involving Jews, trigger words are used to vilify, delegitimize, and demonize Israel and the Jewish people. These include classical antisemitic tropes disguised as political criticism, Holocaust distortion, and the delegitimization of Jewish self-determination through the mischaracterization of Zionism. We hope these myth-busting facts are a starting point for you to learn and feel comfortable advocating for yourself or educating others. By recognizing these harmful patterns of language and rhetoric, you can become more effective in countering antisemitism in your community, workplace, and online spaces. In turn, they can be used in defending against them and combating antisemitism. The list is by no means comprehensive so if you think anything is missing, please contact us.
Palestine
The word “Palestine” has referred to several different entities, at different times. The word likely derives from the “Philistine” people who lived in the territory of what is today Israel, during Biblical times, though the Philistines have no connection to modern-day Palestinians. The Philistines were a non-Semitic seafaring people of Aegean origin who settled along […]
Continue ReadingTwo-state vs. One-state Solution
In 1937, the Peel Commission suggested a partition of what was then British Mandatory Palestine into two states: one for the Jews, and one for the Arabs. It was accepted by the Jews, but not by the Arabs who refused to accept the existence of even a small Jewish state. This established an important historical […]
Continue ReadingGaza
Gaza is a territory that is today controlled 100% by Hamas, a recognized Islamist terror organization whose founding charter explicitly calls for Israel’s destruction and includes numerous antisemitic tropes. On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history, killing over 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and taking approximately 250 hostages into […]
Continue ReadingWest Bank
The West Bank refers to the territory of what was once Judea and Samaria, west of the Jordan River. These biblical names – Judea and Samaria – reflect the region’s deep historical connection to the Jewish people dating back over 3,000 years, a fact often omitted in discussions about the territory’s status.[1] When proposed plans […]
Continue ReadingIsrael’s Offensive vs. Defensive Posture
Golda Meir once quipped that when the Arab armies put down their weapons, there will be no more war, but if the Israeli army put down its weapons, there would be no more Israel. This fundamental reality still defines Israel’s security doctrine today and has been tragically reinforced by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, […]
Continue ReadingHolocaust Denial
Holocaust denial is, at its core, an antisemitic conspiracy theory, and is explicitly recognized as a form of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and numerous governments worldwide.[1] The Holocaust was a genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime against European Jews between 1941-1945. Six million Jews were murdered in death camps, concentration camps, […]
Continue ReadingIsrael’s “New” Government 2023
On December 29, 2022, the 37th Government of the State of Israel was formed in the aftermath of the November 2022 election. With this new government, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving premier, is once again Israel’s PM, for the third time. There is no doubt that this new government is the most right-wing […]
Continue ReadingZionism
Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, who sought to restore their freedom and independence in their ancestral homeland in the Land of Israel. Like other indigenous rights movements, Zionism affirms the right of a people to self-determination in their historical territory. The term originated from “Zion,” one of the biblical names […]
Continue ReadingThe Holocaust
The Holocaust refers to the systemic destruction of the Jewish community of Europe which took place during World War II. From about the year 1941 to 1945, over six-million Jews across Europe were murdered, either by mass-shootings, gassings, or being herded into concentration, labour, or death camps, by the Nazi regime. During the Holocaust, about […]
Continue ReadingOutsmarting Antisemitism
The Outsmarting Antisemitism website is independent and not affiliated with any organizations. It was built by community members who came together at a grassroots level to combat the alarming rise in antisemitism. Recent data shows antisemitic incidents in Canada reached an unprecedented 6,219 reported cases in 2024 – a 124% increase since 2022 (B’nai Brith Canada, “Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2024,” April 7, 2025).