A phrase mocking Jewish historical and religious ties to the land of Israel has gained significant traction across social media platforms in recent months. “It was promised to them 3,000 years ago” is a phrase which references the biblical concept of the land of Israel being divinely promised to the Jewish people. However, on social media it is often used sarcastically to delegitimize Jewish ancestral claims to the land of Israel, implying irrational entitlement or clinging to ancient myths. The phrase also extends beyond mentions of Israel which echo antisemitic tropes of Jewish power and control.
The expression, which may seem innocuous, carries antisemitic undertones. It is commonly used to portray Jewish people as entitled and deceitful. The posts exploit the concept of the “promised land” from the Torah, demonizing Jews through the belief that the state of Israel is illegitimate. However, these posts extend beyond references to Israel, with many sarcastically saying that Jews will use this “excuse” to claim other countries as their own, reflecting the antisemitic trope that Jews are power hungry and plotting to control the world. For example, one user posted, “Jews will claim France was promised to them 6 million years ago too,” including a mocking reference to the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. Another user wrote “Nah India has a feud with Muslims and some intercaste BS. India will be too held up with Jews who will claim India was promised to them 3000000 years ago.” Both countries have no connection to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Although the phrase has gained notoriety in recent times, it has been circulated online for years. The Command Center tracked the use of the phrase in antisemitic way back to July 2014, in a post that reads, “@NWcarol28 legal and moral existence? Explain that to me? Because it was promised 3000 years ago, all the Jews there now are from Europe.” Since then, the phrase has periodically resurfaced, often during periods of heightened attention on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Following the October 7th attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, the phrase has seen a dramatic resurgence. Since that date, it has appeared in nearly 300,000 posts on X alone. However, the phrase has proliferated across many platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube. Its use has intensified sharply in 2025, with a 471% increase in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2024. Notably, 91% of posts using the phrase this year were published after March, pointing to a rapid and recent spike in activity. Further analysis has found that the majority of these posts originate from younger users. 76% of posts since March came from accounts categorized as Gen Z or millennial, indicating that the phrase is being widely adopted by users under the age of 40.
As with many recent antisemitic trends, this phrase often circulates through sarcasm and meme culture, allowing harmful ideas to spread under the guise of satire. This phrase allows users to spread hateful ideas without using explicit hateful language, often by design, delegitimizing Jewish connection to Israel and portraying Jews as greedy and manipulative, while reaching a larger unassuming audience.
