TEL AVIV, Israel | CyberWell says antisemitic conspiracy theories falsely blaming Jews and Israel for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are resurfacing across major social media platforms as the world approaches the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The Tel Aviv-based nonprofit, which works with Meta, TikTok and YouTube on combating online antisemitism, said it identified scores of posts across Meta platforms, Reddit, TikTok and X claiming Jews planned the attacks, had advance knowledge of them or secretly controlled the events.
According to CyberWell, some users are employing coded language and imagery to make the antisemitic content less obvious to automated moderation systems.
The organization said examples include the use of a juice box emoji as a coded reference to Jews, based on the phonetic similarity between “juice” and “Jews,” as well as images combining scenes from 9/11 with the antisemitic “Happy Merchant” caricature.
Other posts directly harassed Jewish individuals, accused Jews of involvement in the terrorist attacks or used explicit antisemitic slurs, CyberWell said.
The organization described the material as part of a broader pattern of conspiracy-driven scapegoating in which Jews are falsely portrayed as secretly responsible for major tragedies, political developments and social crises.
Unlike many conspiracies that spike after a particular event and then recede, CyberWell says antisemitic narratives surrounding 9/11 have endured for a quarter-century.
Old Conspiracies Adapted for Social Media
The conspiracy theories CyberWell documented include several claims that have circulated since shortly after the attacks.
One is the false allegation that thousands of Jews or Israelis were warned not to report to work at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
A U.S. State Department report examining contemporary global antisemitism specifically addressed that conspiracy theory, stating there was no mass absence of Jews from the World Trade Center. The report estimated that approximately 10 to 15 percent of the World Trade Center occupants who died were Jewish.
CyberWell also identified renewed circulation of the so-called “Dancing Israelis” conspiracy theory, which claims Israeli men observed near the World Trade Center had advance knowledge of, celebrated, or participated in the attacks.
Other posts targeted Larry Silverstein, the Jewish businessman whose company held the lease on the World Trade Center complex, using his absence from the buildings that morning to falsely suggest that he knew the attacks were coming or deliberately profited from them.
Those allegations remain part of a broader collection of 9/11 conspiracy theories falsely implicating Israel or Jews. The claims continue circulating online 25 years after the attacks, including renewed discussion of the “Dancing Israelis” and Silverstein narratives this week.
CyberWell says the individual claims differ, but their underlying message is familiar: Jews are depicted as a secretive, powerful group capable of manipulating governments, economies and global events for their own benefit.
Jews Were Among the Victims
The conspiracy theories also obscure the reality that Jews were among those murdered on Sept. 11, 2001.
“September 11th was a horrific terrorist attack on a global scale against the entire free world,” CyberWell CEO and founder Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor said.
Citing U.S. government figures, she said an estimated 200 to 400 Jews died at the World Trade Center, including five Israelis.
“Those trafficking in conspiratorial hatred online around the 25th anniversary of September 11 undermine the true lessons of this tragic event and tarnish the memory of its victims and the brave first responders who risked their lives to save others,” Cohen Montemayor said.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the coordinated al-Qaeda terrorist attacks in New York, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The victims came from numerous countries and religious backgrounds. The U.S. State Department has previously emphasized that Christians, Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths were among those killed.
CyberWell Warns of Wider Scapegoating Trend
CyberWell says the renewed 9/11 material is not isolated.
The organization has documented antisemitic conspiracy theories blaming Jews for a range of unrelated disasters, violent attacks and political developments.
Its recent research has tracked similar narratives following wildfires in Europe and other major news events. CyberWell has also reported attempts to exploit global events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup to spread allegations of secret Jewish control over institutions, governments and public opinion.
CyberWell argues that the 9/11 conspiracy theories are particularly significant because they have become a reference point for newer antisemitic narratives.
Instead of existing solely as misinformation about an event from 2001, the organization says 9/11 is increasingly invoked as supposed historical evidence supporting fresh accusations that Jews must also be responsible for subsequent crises.
“The outrageous and false conspiracy blaming Jews and Israel for the 9/11 attacks continues to spread widely online, amplified by engagement algorithms and, in part, by a lack of effective platform policies to address it,” Cohen Montemayor said.
She said CyberWell has tracked increases in attempts to scapegoat Jews for major tragedies but believes too few social media platforms explicitly address this form of conspiracy-driven antisemitism in their trust and safety policies.
Artificial Intelligence Creates New Concern
CyberWell is also warning that the spread of antisemitic misinformation across social media could have implications beyond individual platforms.
As artificial intelligence systems and large language models draw on enormous amounts of publicly available digital information, Cohen Montemayor warned that persistent conspiracy theories could potentially be incorporated into AI-generated material or reproduced without adequate context.
“As AI and LLMs increasingly rely on social media data for training and as a source of knowledge, the risk of antisemitic conspiracies and bias being absorbed and reproduced as fact increases,” she said.
The warning reflects a growing challenge for technology companies: distinguishing rapidly evolving coded hate speech from legitimate discussion, criticism and historical analysis.
CyberWell says this challenge is particularly significant when users deliberately modify language, imagery or spelling to evade automated detection.
The organization uses artificial intelligence and human analysts to monitor antisemitic content in English and Arabic, applying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism as part of its methodology.
CyberWell also reports content to social media companies and maintains an open database of verified antisemitic social media posts.
Warning of Foreign Amplification
CyberWell further warned that antisemitic conspiracy theories can serve purposes beyond spreading hatred against Jews.
Cohen Montemayor said foreign state actors can amplify divisive conspiracy theories to weaken social cohesion and increase distrust within Western societies.
“On the anniversary of 9/11, we must keep national security top of mind,” she said.
She argued that foreign actors are promoting extreme antisemitic narratives as part of broader efforts to destabilize societies and deepen political and social divisions.
CyberWell’s assessment comes as social media platforms increasingly turn to automated systems and artificial intelligence to identify and moderate harmful content.
The organization argues that human expertise remains necessary because antisemitic narratives continually evolve, including through memes, euphemisms, coded references and seemingly innocuous symbols.
A quarter-century after the Sept. 11 attacks, CyberWell says the persistence of conspiracies blaming Jews and Israel demonstrates how old antisemitic themes can survive by adapting themselves to new technologies, new platforms and new generations of users.
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