Stop Zionist Hate (SZH)

Stop Zionist Hate (SZH) is an online group dedicated to criticizing opponents of Palestine after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The group has presented its work as a response or reprisal to that of pro-Israel group Stop Antisemitism. 1 SZH has been accused of antisemitism and Holocaust denial 2 and of engaging in “doxing,” the practice of releasing personal information online publicly. 3

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At-A-Glance

Type: Organization, Other
Issue Areas: Foreign Policy
Website: stopzh.org
Formation:

2023

Contents

    SZH describes itself as a “non-partisan American based organization” and a “non-governmental and non-profit organization” though the legal structure and personnel of the group are publicly unknown. 4

    SZH was founded in November 2023. 5 The organization has an account on X (formerly known as Twitter) with over 130,000 followers as of August 2024, 4 as well as accounts on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and Gab Social. As of January 2024, SZH is based out of a link tree page that lists a “website coming soon.” 6

    Activities

    Stop Zionist Hate primarily collects and publicizes reports of alleged acts or expressions of anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian prejudice. These efforts have been characterized as doxing and “mass harassment campaigns to get supporters of Israel fired.” 3 On December 29, 2023, SZA posted a photo of a Facebook engineer and one of his Instagram posts in which he stated, “Israel forever. Gaza is done. Should have never existed in the first place.” The SZH caption claimed that the individual was fired from Meta, Facebook’s parent company in January 2024. 7

    In an Instagram post, SZH highlighted a comment by an Israeli prosecutor who said she ““raised a glass for the Gaza Strip being erased.” SZH called the comment an instance of “Jewish supremacy” in Israel. 8

    SZH also counteracts accusations of antisemitism. In January 2024, SZH posted a criticism of a post by Stop Antisemitism calling actor John Cusack the “antisemite of the week” 9 for a series of Twitter posts he has made since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In one post Cusack said, “Words fail – the barbarity of the western response is unmatched In depravity / imagine Oct 7 th going on for 115 days ?” 10

    SZH has called for a boycott of the clothing brand Zara after the company’s head designer made pro-Israel statements. 11

    Raven Mission

    On December 19, 2023, SZH announced the Raven Mission, “a new affiliate project” of SZH. 12 The Raven Mission provides a database of individuals expressing anti-Palestinian or pro-Zionist beliefs. The organization’s website groups individuals under the categories of “students,” “professors,” “professionals,” “medical,” and “politicians.” Each individual listed has a profile describing their views based on social media posts and public statements. 13 Raven Mission claims to only make entries on individuals who express Islamophobia, support genocide, threaten the safety of Muslims, or incite violence. 14

    Raven Mission promotes the campaigns #abandonBiden, Fire Tal Broda from OpenAI, and Murdered by Israel. 15

    The Raven Mission does not accept financial donations but recommends donations to pro-Palestinian groups. 14

    Controversies

    Auschwitz Statement

    Stop Zionist Hate has been accused of promoting Holocaust denial. In January 2023, SZH posted a picture of businessman and owner of Twitter/X Elon Musk and conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro on its Twitter/X page with the commentary: “Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro are in Auschwitz, a town that allegedly witnessed genocide in the 20th century… @elonmusk, do you have any plans to visit Gaza to see the genocide happening right now?” 2

    Many commentators believed that the use of “allegedly” implied that SZH was questioning the historical fact of the Holocaust. Soon after posting, SZH deleted the post and replaced it with another with the same text, but with “allegedly” removed. 2

    SZH responded to criticisms: 2

    “Our point in using the word ‘allegedly’ was to show the double standards when it comes to discussing atrocities… We don’t deny the atrocities of WW2. Zionists and the mainstream media use the word ‘allegedly’ when reporting on Palestinians being murdered, yet they don’t get labeled as anti-Palestinian or atrocity-deniers.” 2

    Extremism

    The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has an entry on SZH saying the group “promote(s) extreme anti-Israel and anti-Zionist views” with posts “that deny the Holocaust, call for the eradication of Zionism in the U.S. and target Jewish individuals.” 16

    Some commenters, including journalist Phil Garber, have accused SZH of being associated with white supremacists. 3

    Astroturfing

    According to Andre Oboler, the chief executive officer of the Online Hate Prevention Institute, SZH “bears all the hallmarks of an astroturf campaign,” including a lack of publicly available information about the organization’s structure or leadership. 5 Astroturfing is defined by Merriam-Webster as “organized activity that is intended to create a false impression of a widespread, spontaneously arising, grassroots movement in support of or in opposition to something.” 17

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    References

    1. Stop Zionist Hate. Twitter/X Post. November 12, 2023, 6:38 PM. https://x.com/StopZionistHate/status/1723847691363377455
    2. Hilu, Charles. “Anti-Israel Group Posts Then Deletes Holocaust Denial.” Free Beacon. January 22, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/anti-israel-group-posts-then-deletes-holocaust-denial/.
    3. Garber, Phil. “White Power Groups Pose As Palestinian Supporters To Stir Anti-Semitism.” Medium. December 31, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://philgarber.medium.com/white-power-groups-pose-as-palestinian-supporters-to-stir-anti-semitism-54829fc027f9.
    4. “SZH.” X. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://twitter.com/stopzionisthate.
    5. “Andre Oboler.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/oboler_burgertory-online-incitement-and-stopzionisthate-activity-7128783085726289920-5POq/.
    6. “Home Page.” Stop Zionist Hate. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://stopzh.org/.
    7. “SZH.” X. January 30, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://twitter.com/StopZionistHate/status/1752364997429076017.
    8. “stopzionhate.” Instagram. December 16, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/p/C074_HhtMBS/?img_index=1.
    9. “SZH.” X. January 30, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://twitter.com/StopZionistHate/status/1752471792495558924.
    10. Penley, Taylor. “John Cusack fires back after being branded ‘Antisemite of the Week’ over Israel stance: ‘List full of lies’.” New York Post. January 30, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://nypost.com/2024/01/30/news/john-cusack-fires-back-after-being-branded-antisemite-of-the-week-over-israel-stance/.
    11. “Stopzionhate.” Instagram. December 16, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/p/C08JzRtuRtY/.
    12. “SZH.” Stop Zionist Hate. December 19, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://twitter.com/StopZionistHate/status/1737217995070398773.
    13. “People.” Raven Mission. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://www.ravenmission.org/people/professionals.
    14.  “About Us.” Raven Mission. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://www.ravenmission.org/about.
    15. “Campaigns.” Raven Mission Accessed January 31, 2024. https://www.ravenmission.org/campaigns.
    16. “Stop Zionist Hate.” Anti-Defamation League. Accessed January 31, 2024. https://extremismterms.adl.org/glossary/stop-zionist-hate?_gl=1*1welfvy*_ga*MjA5NzEzMjE0My4xNzA2NzEyNDEz*_ga_S9QB0F2PB5*MTcwNjcxMjQxMi4xLjAuMTcwNjcxMjQxMi4wLjAuMA
    17. “Astroturfing Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astroturfing.