By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

I wasn’t sure if this should be the subject of a page 2 oped column or a food column, but considering I’ve discussed whether a food is Jewish or non-Jewish in several recent food columns, I couldn’t resist writing about it here because it sounds more like a cosmic joke than a serious discussion of food and health. Unfortunately, while the name goyslop sounds a bit offensive (as if non-Jewish food is slop), the offense lies in a different direction. 

First, you might be asking, “What is goyslop?” According to a recent article* in the Forward, it’s unhealthy fast food. As someone who tries to eat healthy (OK, I try, but don’t always succeed), I have no problem with the government making certain that people know the nutritional value of fast food. But I wouldn’t be writing this column if that was the complete import of the term. According to that article, “Goyslop is an antisemitic meme term for fast food and other unhealthy, mass-produced snacks. It implies that low-quality food is made cheaply and easily available by Jewish elites to keep the rest of the world unhealthy and under their control.” The article also mentions another term for this food is ZOGslop, which stands for Zionist Occupied Government slop. 

I went looking for the meme the article talks about that is supposed to show “Hasidic men feeding pigs and obese white men wearing red baseball hats at the same trough.” I couldn’t find it, although I found a pretty awful picture called “Pig-headed Jewish man in traditional attire,” which shows a humanoid Pig wearing traditional Jewish clothing, including a necklace with a Jewish star and with another Jewish star on his fancy hat. This reminded me of the more common antisemitic connection between Jews and pigs where Jews are compared to pigs. (If you want to read more about that connection, read Jordan D. Rosenblum’s “Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and Pigs.” A review of the book appears in page 6 of this issue.)

The impetus for the article was a photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been picked to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, eating fast food with President-elect Trump. What is funny is that Trump is known for his love of fast food. That makes Kennedy an odd pick for that post since he has vowed to take on the fast food industry in his crusade to Make America Healthy Again. While I disagree with a great deal of what he says about vaccines, etc., to be fair, he’s correct that corn syrup and artificial food dyes are probably not good for our health. (On one of the medically restricted diets I was on, both of those were to be avoided.) No one can really argue a fast food diet is really good for you.

However, the problem is suggesting that Jews control the fast food industry for the purpose of destroying the health of America. I mean, seriously, another conspiracy theory? People who come up with these ideas have way too much time on their hands. But, as I’ve written before elsewhere, if there really is a Jewish organization controlling the world, will you please tell me how I can apply? I’d happily give up my goyslop in order to join. 

*The Forward article can be found here.