I'm going to post an opinion that I doubt will be very popular, but hey ho...
(EDIT: Actually it seems not - thankfully most who have posted on here so far seem to fully support using the word - thank god for that
).
I should start by saying that I do have Jewish heritage, my grandmother is Jewish and my mum actually learned Hebrew a few years ago, such was her interest in that part of her own heritage. However my own personal use of 'the Y word' was never anything to do with that, and that's my point (which I fully expect to get shot to pieces, but as I say, hey ho, I am asking for it here I guess):
I've always shouted 'Y-army!' at places like music festivals and during games in pubs etc, because it's a Spurs chant, not because it has anything to do with Jewish history. Call me ignorant for that if you wish, that would be a fair criticism, but that's the reality. When I shout it, I do so as positive war-cry for my team, with no negative whatsoever towards anyone (other than today's opponents of course!). For me, it is one of many words that have many different meanings to different people. And this is the bit that I will never understand - if a person uses a word in a context where their intended meaning is clear, such as supporting your favourite football team, why can't people recognise and accept the use of that word in that context, why do people have to remove the word from the context, ignore that context, then claim offence as a result?
I'm not saying all usages would be ok - if someone says to someone else 'you fucking stingy y**' or something like that, then I can absolutely see why someone would take offence to that, but if the y-word is used purely to support a football team, with nothing but positive vibes, how can anyone take offence at it? And if someone removes my context and nuance in order to find the word offensive, my concern would be where that ends. If I have a relative who is scared to be around people, can I complain at scousers singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" as it is disrespectful to him? I know it's an extreme and deliberately ridiculous example, but where is the line? I know someone will say it's totally different because YNWA isn't steeped in a history of being used abusively, but why is that relevant if the current usage by me isn't abusive but supportive and positive? I am not responsible for past or present atrocities, my words should not be tarred with the same brush as those of others, my words should be taken with respect given to their context and intent. As soon as we start ignoring context and intent, you could find 'thereby legitimate' reasons to ban pretty much any word that someone doesn't like, and I fear that is the direction the world seems to be going in.
And I don't want to bow down to that, so will continue to shout 'Y-Army!' until someone convinces me that it's the wrong thing to do (or - god forbid - punishes me for doing it, at which point freedom of speech would truly be dead).
Please do forgive me those of you who have debated this before on here, as I'm sure it's been done to death many times before my time as a forum member, and I'm sure the rather simplistic opinion I've provided above could be torn to pieces here just as I'm sure it has been many times before - I just wanted to remind everyone of what I expect may well be the most likely reason for most (non-hardcore / non-forum) Spurs fans still using that word.