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The Hebrew word “goy,” and its plural “goyim,” have recently resurfaced in online debates, conspiracy theories, and social media memes, especially following revelations from Jeffrey Epstein’s emails in which he used the term “goyim” to insult others.
The term appears frequently in discussions about Jewish identity, extremist rhetoric, and the spread of antisemitic narratives on the internet.
At its most basic level, “goyim” means “nations” in biblical Hebrew. In everyday use, particularly in Hebrew and Yiddish, many say it commonly refers to someone who is not Jewish.
But the word has become controversial in recent years because of how it is used in political discourse, extremist propaganda, and internet culture.
Understanding what “goyim” means, therefore, requires looking at both its historical linguistic meaning and the modern contexts in which it appears.
The word “goy” originates in biblical Hebrew and literally means “nation.”
In some passages of the Torah, the term even refers to the nation of Israel itself. Over time, however, it developed a different everyday meaning in Jewish languages and communities.
In Hebrew and Yiddish usage, “goyim” became a simple way to refer to people outside the Jewish community.
Haaretz describes it as a linguistic distinction between the in-group and the out-group. The term historically functions in a similar way to words such as “gringo” in Spanish or “gaijin” in Japanese, which can describe outsiders without necessarily carrying an insult.
In many contexts, the term simply marks cultural difference rather than hostility. Jewish comedian Lenny Bruce famously joked that foods such as pumpernickel bread were “Jewish,” while white bread and mayonnaise were “goyish,” using the word humorously to describe things outside Jewish culture.
Because of this history, many linguists and writers stress that the word itself is not inherently offensive. Its meaning depends largely on tone, context, and the intent of the speaker.
Although “goyim” often functions as a neutral descriptor meaning a non-Jew, critics argue that the term can also appear in hierarchical or exclusionary contexts, particularly in discussions about insular religious communities.
A 2014 Haaretz report examining the murder of Hasidic landlord Menachem “Max” Stark in Brooklyn included commentary from sociologist Samuel Heilman, an expert on ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities.
“What you do to the goyim is not the same as what you do to Jews,” Heilman told Haaretz, describing an attitude that can appear in some tightly knit religious communities that historically saw the outside world as hostile.
The article also cited Samuel Katz, who was raised in the Satmar Hasidic community before later leaving it. Katz described what he said were teachings about non-Jews that he encountered while growing up.
“There is a completely different taxonomy of people,” Katz said. “There are Jews, and then there are non-Jews, who don’t have souls.”
According to Katz, children in the community are taught a prophetic narrative in which non-Jews occupy a subordinate position.
“When the messiah comes, every boy is taught that the bad goyim will be killed and the good gentiles will have the privilege of serving us, of being our slaves,” he told Haaretz.
Katz said this worldview can shape how some members of insular communities interact with outsiders. “It informs your moral compass,” he said, adding that the mindset can create what he described as an “empathy blind spot” toward people outside the group.
At the same time, Katz warned against turning criticism of closed religious communities into broader prejudice against Jews or Hasidic groups. “The ‘other-ing’ of Hasidim is as abominable as what the Hasidim do to other people,” he said.
For analysts studying the term, examples like these illustrate why “goyim” can carry sharply different meanings depending on the cultural and social context in which it is used.
The modern controversy surrounding the word is largely connected to its use in extremist and far-right internet communities.
Researchers say neo-Nazi networks have circulated the word for years as part of antisemitic conspiracy theories. Memes such as “the goyim know” portray Jewish people as secretly controlling governments, media, and global events.
These memes began appearing on far-right message boards such as 4chan and Stormfront in the 2010s. The Anti-Defamation League has also documented how the phrase became a common signal within online extremist communities.
Some far-right groups even incorporated the word into their organizational names.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue describes the Goyim Defense League as a decentralized neo-Nazi network built around antisemitic conspiracy theories. The group promotes white supremacy, Holocaust denial, and calls for the expulsion of Jews from the United States.
Researchers say the organization uses demonstrations, flyers, banner drops, and online harassment to attract attention and recruit supporters.
In this context, “goyim” becomes less a neutral word and more a symbolic term within antisemitic propaganda.
Some of Epstein’s emails included references to “goyim,” sometimes in a dismissive tone.
In one message cited in the documents, Epstein wrote that traders should “let the goyim deal in the real world.”
In another exchange, Epstein joked about a social gathering, writing to literary agent John Brockman, “Your goyim dinner was amazing. Thank you very much for including me. Where are the Jews?”
He also commented on nightlife in Florida, writing that “the goyim in general know how to have a good time,” referring to guests at venues he frequented.
The emails resurfaced after U.S. authorities released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein’s activities, prompting renewed debate online about the meaning and tone behind the term.
Mike Rothschild, a researcher who studies antisemitic conspiracy movements, said the files provided raw material that different groups interpreted according to their existing beliefs.
“Whatever your particular brand of conspiracy theory is, there’s something in the files for you,” Rothschild said, as reported by The Times of Israel.
The debate intensified after conservative media personality Candace Owens highlighted the emails on social media, claiming they revealed a racist worldview toward non-Jews. Owens, who has 5.91 million YouTube subscribers and about 6.4 million Instagram followers, amplified the claim in posts and livestreams discussing the Epstein files.
During one livestream, she claimed that the word “goyim” refers to “cattle” and suggested the term reflects a religious philosophy in which non-Jews are meant to be ruled over.
Her comments quickly circulated online and were widely shared across conspiracy-oriented communities already discussing the Epstein documents.
The online debate around “goyim” also intersects with broader political arguments about Israel and Zionism.
Many commentators emphasize that criticism of Israeli government policies or opposition to Zionism does not automatically constitute antisemitism.
Public figures and organizations across the political spectrum have repeatedly drawn this distinction.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the most prominent Jewish critics of the Israeli government's conduct in Gaza, has argued that political accountability should not be conflated with ethnic prejudice.
Responding in April 2024 to accusations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that campus protests against the war were antisemitic, Sanders said: “It is not antisemitic to criticize a right-wing, extremist Netanyahu government. It is not antisemitic to hold you accountable for your actions.”
Journalist and writer Masha Gessen, a Jewish Russian American staff writer at The New Yorker, sparked international debate in 2023 with an essay titled “In the Shadow of the Holocaust.” In the piece, Gessen argued that the memory of the Holocaust is sometimes invoked by Israeli leaders to justify policies toward Palestinians in Gaza, and that the phrase “never again” should apply universally rather than only to Jews.
Similar arguments have also been made by Israeli human rights organizations. B’Tselem, one of Israel’s best-known rights groups, published a 2021 report titled “A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid,” arguing that Israeli authorities maintain a system that grants rights based on Jewish identity while restricting Palestinians.
Online commentators have also discussed the distinction in media spaces. Podcast host and political commentator Matt Bernstein frequently argues in his discussions that conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism can distort debate and obscure criticism of government policies.
Researchers who study conspiracy movements say the key difference lies in the target of the criticism. Political criticism directed at governments or ideologies differs from narratives that portray Jews as a collective force secretly controlling global events.
In its original linguistic sense, “goyim” means non-Jews. The word appears in Hebrew and Yiddish as a way to distinguish between Jewish and non-Jewish communities.
However, the term now occupies a complicated place in modern discourse. In everyday language, it can still function as a neutral descriptor. In ideological or conspiratorial debates across different political camps, it sometimes appears in narratives that frame Jews and non-Jews in hostile or hierarchical terms.
Understanding the difference requires looking closely at context, intent, and the broader narrative surrounding the word.
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