Dr. Michael Wise is a founder and investor in numerous technology companies. He is a graduate of YU and holds a PhD .in Theoretical Physics from Brandeis U., is the author of Israel demography study (BESA) and has published numerous articles about Israel sovereignty and demographics in Judea and Samaria. mlwise@gmail.com
There is one word thst best describe the enemies of Isrel, antisemites and anti-Zionists: It is the word: “EVIL". It describes the people who hate Israel and Jews, and it does so with the kind of blunt accuracy that most political slogans never manage to achieve.
There is no spin here. No euphemism. No diplomatic softening. The people who celebrate the murder of Jewish civilians, who deny Israel's right to exist, who spread ancient hatred dressed up in modern political language, are “EVIL". The slogan says so plainly. That is its strength.
This article explains why the word fits, how the posters can be adapted, and how supporters of Israel can put this slogan to work on every platform available to them.
Anti-Semitism Is “EVIL"
Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest and most persistent hatreds in human history. It has fueled pogroms, inquisitions, expulsions, and genocide. The Holocaust was not an isolated event. It was the logical endpoint of centuries of organized, institutionalized hatred of Jewish people. It is “EVIL".
Today, anti-Semitism has not disappeared. It has rebranded. It shows up in conspiracy theories about Jewish control of media, finance, and governments. It shows up in vandalism of synagogues. It shows up in physical attacks on Jewish people in cities across Europe and North America. It shows up on college campuses where Jewish students are told they are not welcome unless they renounce the existence of their ancestral homeland.
Calling this “EVIL" is not an overstatement. It is a precise description. Hatred of people because of their ethnicity and religion, hatred with a documented body count stretching across millennia, is “EVIL" by any moral standard. The slogan names it correctly.
Anti-Zionism Is “EVIL"
Anti-Zionism is frequently presented as a political position rather than a form of hatred. This framing does not hold up under examination. Zionism is, at its core, the belief that the Jewish people have the right to self-determination in their historical homeland. Opposing that right, and only that right, while supporting the national aspirations of every other people on earth, is a form of discrimination. It singles out Jews for a standard applied to no one else.
When anti-Zionists call for the elimination of Israel, they are calling for the displacement or destruction of the roughly ten million people who live there. They are arguing that the only majority-Jewish country on earth should cease to exist. This is not a policy disagreement. It is a call for the destruction of a nation and, by extension, a people. It is “EVIL".
The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, one of the most respected moral voices of the modern era, described the new anti-Semitism as anti-Zionism precisely because it redirects hatred from Jews as individuals onto Jews as a collective, expressed through their state. The slogan “EVIL" captures this reality without requiring a lengthy explanation.
Anti-Israel Hatred Is “EVIL"
Criticism of Israeli government policy is legitimate. Every democracy is subject to scrutiny and debate, including Israel. But what passes for anti-Israel sentiment in much of public discourse today goes far beyond policy criticism. It involves dehumanizing language, deliberate distortions of history, selective application of international law, and in many cases open celebration of terrorist violence against Israeli civilians. It is “EVIL".
After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, crowds gathered in cities around the world not to mourn the dead but to celebrate the killers. This was not political protest. This was moral collapse. People marched in support of an organization that murdered children, burned families alive, and took elderly Holocaust survivors as hostages. Calling that response “EVIL" is accurate.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Arab citizens have full voting rights, where gay people can live openly, where women hold positions of political and judicial authority. The people who march against Israel while ignoring every actual authoritarian government in the region are not motivated by human rights. They are motivated by something much older and much uglier. It is “EVIL".
Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush used the slogan “EVIL"
The slogan “EVIL" does not only apply to hatred of Israel and Jewish people. It applies to the full moral profile of those who carry that hatred, and that profile is worth examining honestly.
President Ronald Reagan understood the power of calling “EVIL" by its name. In 1983, he stood before the National Association of Evangelicals and referred to the Soviet Union as "the “EVIL" empire." The political establishment recoiled. Diplomats winced. But Reagan insisted that clarity was not provocation. It was honesty. History proved him right. The word “EVIL" did not inflame the conflict. It defined it.
George W. Bush used the phrase"Axis of Evil" in his 2002 State of the Union address to describe Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. That same clarity is what the slogan “EVIL" brings to this fight today.
Many of the movements and governments most openly hostile to Israel are also among the most repressive on earth. Hamas governs Gaza as a theocratic dictatorship. It executes gay people. It restricts the movement of women. It uses civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, to store weapons and launch attacks. The Iranian government, which funds and arms groups dedicated to Israel's destruction, hangs gay men from cranes and arrests and beats women for refusing to wear the hijab. Hezbollah operates as a state within a state in Lebanon, accountable to no one and violent toward everyone who challenges it.
On Western streets and campuses, the people who wave the flags of these organizations often include individuals who also promote racism in other forms, who engage in harassment and intimidation, and who have made Jewish students and community members feel physically unsafe. The behavior is consistent. The word that describes it is consistent too.
“EVIL" is not a slur. It is a moral category. Murder is “EVIL". Racism is “EVIL". Anti-LGBTQ persecution is “EVIL". Anti-Semitism is “EVIL". The slogan “EVIL" does not stretch to cover these things. It fits them all naturally, because they all belong to the same family of human cruelty.
The Posters: Adding a Word or Two
The “EVIL" posters work as a standalone statement. But adding a word or two can sharpen the message and speak to specific audiences. A few examples of how this can be done effectively:
- "EVIL Terrorists" - Aimed directly at those who support Hamas, Hezbollah, or any organization that deliberately targets civilians.
- "EVIL Racists" - Covers anti-Semitism and the broader racial hatred that often accompanies it.
- "EVIL Homophobes" - Highlights the anti-LGBTQ reality of the regimes and movements that call for Israel's destruction.
- "EVIL Murderers" - Refers to the October 7 attacks and the broader campaign of violence against Israeli civilians.
- "EVIL Antisemites" - Direct, clear, and historically grounded.
The additions do not dilute the slogan. They focus it. Different posters can target different aspects of the same underlying reality, making the campaign flexible enough to respond to whatever conversation is happening at any given moment.
How to Spread “EVIL" Across Social Media
A slogan is only as effective as its reach. Here is how supporters of Israel can put “EVIL" to work on every major platform. Create an image of the word “EVIL" that looks like arabic. Create an image in GREEN. The Islamist colors.
Use It as a Hashtag
Post with #"EVIL" consistently. Attach it to posts about anti-Semitic incidents, pro-Hamas rallies, terrorist attacks, and any news story that illustrates the moral reality the slogan describes. Consistency builds recognition. Recognition builds reach.
Attach It to News Coverage
When news breaks about an anti-Semitic attack, a pro-Hamas march, or a government that calls for Israel's destruction, post the slogan alongside the coverage. Let the news story do the explaining. The slogan provides the moral summary.
Use the Poster Variations
Create shareable image posts using the different versions of the poster. "EVIL Terrorist" for one story. "EVIL Racist" for another. Clean, simple graphics travel further than long text posts on most platforms. Keep the design bold and easy to read at thumbnail size.
When someone posts anti-Israel content, a calm and direct response using the slogan can be more effective than a long argument. “EVIL". One word. No elaboration needed in many cases. It puts the moral frame on the table without getting drawn into a debate designed to waste your time and legitimize bad-faith arguments.
Build Community Around It
Encourage pro-Israel voices to adopt the slogan. A shared visual language and a shared hashtag create a recognizable movement. The more people use it, the more visible it becomes, and the harder it is to ignore.
Conclusion: Accuracy Matters
Use of the word “EVIL" in slogans works because it is accurate. It does not exaggerate. It does not name-call in the absence of evidence. It applies a moral word to a moral reality that has been extensively documented across history and in the news cycle of the present day.
Anti-Semitism is “EVIL". Anti-Zionism, when it means denying the Jewish people the right to a homeland and a state, is “EVIL". Celebrating the murder of civilians is “EVIL". Persecuting gay people and women is “EVIL". Supporting organizations that do these things is “EVIL".
Reagan and Bush were was right to use the word “EVIL". Theywere right because the word was earned. The same principle applies NOW. The word “EVIL" is earned.
The slogan names it. Please distribute to all potential users. We can win the SLOGAN WAR!