CyberWell, a nonprofit that monitors and counters online antisemitism, is urging major social media platforms to take action against a viral trend that features gym-goers using athletic equipment to mock Jews, which the group claims has led to in-person harassment of Jews.
According to the group, social media users have been posting videos of themselves wearing triceps ropes on their heads to “mimic payot, the sidelocks worn by some Orthodox Jewish men and boys, while claiming gym equipment was ‘promised to them 3,000 years ago.’”
Other clips, the group said, depict “staged scenarios in which Jewish caricatures monopolize equipment, push others aside or fixate on small amounts of money,” with some set to the song “Hava Nagila.”
“The videos repeat stereotypes portraying Jews as greedy, entitled or focused on money,” CyberWell stated.
The organization said it first flagged an earlier AI-generated version of the “3,000 years ago” joke that preceded the gym-content trend, but that platforms were initially hesitant to remove the material because it was framed as humor.
CyberWell also pointed to a recent incident in New York in which an individual allegedly used the same “3,000 years ago” line while harassing a Jewish woman, saying it illustrates how “online hate can carry into everyday settings.”
The group said enforcement efforts lagged as the trend spread, arguing it reflects broader gaps in how platforms moderate AI-generated content presented as satire.
Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor, founder and executive director of CyberWell, said that “early intervention” by social media platforms could have prevented the normalization of the antisemitic content.
“Generative AI allows rapid variation and subtle changes that help harmful content avoid detection,” she said. “Platforms must invest in proactive moderation, expert-informed guardrails and consistent enforcement.”
