emoji project

art by aleXsandro Palombo, not a poem by man of aran

“The Star of David” Edith Bruck, by aleXsandro Palombo (left = original, right = defaced) 2025

Italian muralist, aleXsandro Palombo (b. 1973), focuses on contemporary culture, ethics & human rights. Edith Bruck (b. 1931), the subject of his mural, is a novelist, poet, film director and Holocaust survivor. She said, “I was born in anti-Semitism and I believe I will die in anti-Semitism.”

The juice box 

Thank you for coming. You’ve been selected as a representative of your community. Our research aims at developing tools that enhance the public's online experience, especially when using direct messaging and social network platforms. We monitor all the current trends in order to ensure maximum relevance. Your first task is to play a word association game. 

For each of the following, what word first comes to mind? Don’t hesitate, just say it out loud. 

   1. Star of David 

   2. menorah 

   3. beaver 

   4. bagel

   5. Vulcan salute 

   6. juice box  

   7. dollar bill 

   8. maple leaf

   9. nose 

   10. olive branch

   11. kite

   12. cross 

   13. bar of soap 

   14. hockey 

Thank you for participating. Your aggregated responses help us build out our emoji dictionary for greater responsiveness. By giving users as many options as possible, with algorithms that determine which emojis receive priority for each individual, we can continue to meet client needs. 

Here are some preliminary results for linked terms:

Entry: Canada / Canadian

1.    beaver 🦫
2.    maple leaf 🍁 🇨🇦
3.    hockey 🏒

Entry: Christian / Christianity 

1.    cross ✝️ 

Entry: Jew / Jewish   

1.	Star of David ✡️ 🇮🇱 
2.	menorah 🕎
3.	bagel 🥯 
4.	Vulcan salute 🖖 
5.	juice box 🧃
6.	dollar bill 💵 
7.	nose 👃
8.	olive branch 🕊️ 
9.	kite 🪁  
10.	bar of soap 🧼 

Entry: Israel / Israeli  
     same as above, minus the olive branch 

Entry: Zionism / Zionist
     same as above, minus the olive branch 

Acknowledgements: Many thanks to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the government of Qatar for the funding, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens for their invaluable guidance and the students and professors who stepped forward at Concordia (QC) and Columbia (NY) universities, without whose participation this project would not be possible.