SYDNEY — CyberWell, an independent nonprofit dedicated to combating online antisemitism and Holocaust denial, says it is horrified by the deadly terror attack on Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah and alarmed by a rapid escalation of hatred and incitement across social media in the attack’s aftermath.
In a statement released following the massacre, CyberWell said its monitoring teams observed a sharp increase in antisemitic content, including explicit calls for violence, dehumanizing imagery, and conspiracy narratives that deny or deflect responsibility for the attack. Australian authorities have confirmed that Jews were targeted during a Hanukkah gathering, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries.
CyberWell Founder and CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor said the organization’s findings highlight the dangerous intersection between real-world terror and online hate.
“CyberWell is horrified by the attack on Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah,” Cohen Montemayor said. “We are further disgusted by the surge of hatred and incitement that has followed across social media platforms, particularly in the comments section.”
According to CyberWell, its analysts documented widespread dehumanizing mockery of Jewish victims shortly after news of the attack became public. The organization reported the use of antisemitic imagery and coded visual content designed to evade platform moderation systems.
“Our monitoring team observed dehumanizing mockery of the victims, including the new use of antisemitic imagery and GIFs such as pigs and soap bars to avoid detection,” Cohen Montemayor said. “This content appeared alongside explicit calls for further violence and statements telling Jews to ‘go to hell’ in comment sections.”
CyberWell said such imagery draws on long-standing antisemitic tropes and Holocaust-related symbolism, repurposed in digital form to harass and intimidate Jewish users while attempting to bypass automated content filters.
In addition to direct incitement, CyberWell reported a surge in denial narratives seeking to blame the Jewish community itself for the attack. According to the organization, these posts falsely characterized the massacre as a staged event.
“We are also seeing a dangerous denial narrative online that blames the Jewish community itself, falsely labeling the attack a ‘false flag’ or ‘Mossad’ operation, orchestrated to divide Australians,” Cohen Montemayor said.
CyberWell emphasized that these claims are unsupported and serve to deflect responsibility while fueling further hostility. The organization noted that, based on publicly available information and early reporting, the attack is being treated by authorities as an act of terrorism. Claims regarding responsibility, including assertions of Iran-backed involvement, were cited by CyberWell as part of the broader context under investigation and discussion by security experts, not as fact.
CyberWell warned that unchecked online antisemitism can contribute directly to real-world harm. The organization stressed that violent rhetoric and glorification of attacks online risk normalizing hatred and encouraging copycat behavior.
“The response to this vicious act of terror requires action,” Cohen Montemayor said. “Action that not only addresses violent antisemitism offline but stops the continued normalization and amplification of hatred and calls to violence in the online universe.”
CyberWell said it is providing real-time compliance insights to its partners, including technology platforms and policy stakeholders, to help ensure that social media companies enforce their own rules against hate and incitement.
CyberWell reiterated its solidarity with the victims and their families and said the attack underscores the urgent need for coordinated responses to antisemitism both online and offline.
“CyberWell unequivocally condemns this attack and stands in solidarity with the victims and their families,” Cohen Montemayor said. “We will continue to provide real-time compliance insights to our partners to ensure that the platforms do not act as an echo chamber, encouraging additional violence against this small community.”
Jewish organizations worldwide have echoed similar concerns, noting a sustained increase in antisemitic incidents since October 2023 and warning that social media often serves as an accelerant for hate campaigns targeting Jews.
As investigations into the Sydney attack continue, CyberWell stated that the role of digital platforms remains critical. The organization called on companies to enforce existing policies consistently and transparently, particularly during periods of crisis when misinformation and incitement spread rapidly.
