As a scholar who studies Jewish languages, I have collected countless examples of Jews around the world using variants of the Hebrew word “shalom” to mean peace – and, by extension, to offer peaceful greeting and parting words.
Yiddish speakers greet each other with “sholem aleichem” and Juhuri speakers (from Azerbaijan) with “sholumi.” American Jewish organizations often greet callers and guests, “Shalom, welcome to [organization].”
Shalom and its feminine equivalent Shlomit are personal names, and many Jewish organizations are named Shalom, such as an Australian collective, a Turkish newspaper and hundreds of synagogues: Beth Shalom (house of peace), Rodef Shalom (pursuer of peace), Ohev Shalom (lover of peace).
We wish each other “Shabbat shalom” on Friday and Saturday, strive for shalom bayit within families, and remember a loved one with alav hashalom. These uses of shalom stem from our liturgy, which is filled with prayers for peace (Sim Shalom, Oseh Shalom).
In fact, until this month, I would have been hard pressed to think of prominent instances when “shalom” was used to signal an act of dominance or violence, though one comes to mind: an iconic scene in “The Hebrew Hammer” in which Jewish strongman Mordechai Jefferson Carver yells, “Shabbat shalom, motherf—ers!” and then shoots up a neo-Nazi bar.
Enter Donald Trump. Wielding the Jewish word meaning hello, goodbye and peace as a weapon, he has deployed it on social media to put his targets on notice: “Shalom Hamas,” when he warned the Palestinian terror group that it needed to release Israeli hostages or face consequences. “Shalom Columbia,” in announcing a $400 million federal funding cut over the university’s handling of antisemitism. “Shalom, Mahmoud,” about the detention of a Palestinian protest leader by immigration authorities.
Linguists know well that words often change meaning as they diffuse from one group to another. People with limited connection to the group where the word originated may not fully understand what the word means, how it is pronounced, or how it is used.
But we also know that language can be changed on purpose, too. And in Trump’s case, I believe he is intentionally appropriating a Jewish word and warping its meaning and usage — running risks for both our communal conversations and those that we have with others in our shared country.
Trump could have said, “Take that,” “See you later,” or, even his catchphrase, “You’re fired.” By using a Hebrew word familiar to people of diverse backgrounds, he appealed to the common understanding that Hebrew is the primary language of Israel and a special language for Jews around the world. While expressing his intended semantic meaning, Trump also implicated Jews in his administration’s authoritarian and potentially illegal actions – defunding Columbia and detaining Mahmoud Khalil.
It contrasts with the most famous previous use of “shalom” by a president: In his moving speech after the assassination of his friend, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, President Bill Clinton famously said, “Shalom, chaver” — “Goodbye, friend.” Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore, also used the word as well as others in Hebrew and Yiddish in his campaign speeches and jokes for Jewish audiences. In their case, Jewish language endeared them to the crowd, as they demonstrated respect for Jewish culture and values despite their outsider status.
Trump’s use of “shalom” will not be as widely harmful as his other recent linguistic affronts, including his insistence on culling any words associated with diversity and his executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. But I worry that it will fan the flames of antisemitism. On social media, it already has, as we see in posts and comments like “Jew[s] be like ‘we don’t control the American government’ then write ‘Shalom’ on the official White House Account” and “He says America First but practices Israel First. Trump is a Shabbos Goy and a big disappointment.”
Sadly, some right-wing Jews have embraced Trump’s use of “shalom.” “Thanks to Trump, ‘Shalom’ is now code for “You f—ed up and are about to find out,” the influencer Nioh Berg tweeted. Shabbos Kestenbaum has used the word to call for additional ICE activity at his alma mater, which he says is a hotbed of antisemitism: “Countdown to Shalom Harvard.”
It is natural for people to evaluate politicians’ actions, including their language, through their preexisting orientation. As a progressive American, I strongly condemn Trump’s responses to campus antisemitism as further eroding our fragile democracy, using Jews as a pawn in his war against intellectualism and ultimately making Jews less safe.
But no matter what one thinks about Trump’s actions, I urge Jews to reject his use of “shalom,” which inverts the meaning our tradition holds most dear. In fact, a Ladino proverb explicitly says, “no de shalom a el rasha” (do not greet [lit. give “shalom” to] the wicked), because that would dilute the peaceful connotations of this ancient Jewish greeting.
Let’s continue to say “shalom” to wish each other well and not let a few social media posts by a divisive leader change how we use our sacred Jewish language.
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