Israel’s New PR Battleground

I’ll never forget sitting with the families of hostages as they pleaded for the world to listen.

Over the past year, I had the privilege of serving as Head of International Influencer Strategy for the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. My position was simple on paper and but complex in reality: find ways to break through and make sure the hostages weren’t forgotten. We needed to reach people outside the usual pro-Israel circles, to get voices heard in spaces where press releases rarely go.

One campaign that captured global attention was “The 13 Women in Captivity.” Thirteen influential women—from Hollywood figures to the exiled Princess of Iran—stood together to remind the world that 13 women were still being held in Gaza. Even Andy Cohen, the Emmy-winning host of Watch What Happens Live, who had been silent until then, joined the campaign and later spoke about it on his show to millions of viewers. That moment mattered—not just because of the reach, but because it came from a trusted voice in popular culture, not the usual advocates.

We also built coalitions of thought leaders with global platforms. People like Sam Harris and Scott Galloway used their credibility to push the story into new corners of the internet and new audiences. Together, these voices generated millions of impressions and opened conversations in places where our cause had rarely been heard before.

But these experiences also revealed something larger: Jewish advocacy cannot rely on the same old playbook. The media landscape has shifted, and if Israel wants to shape global opinion, it needs to move faster, think more creatively, and lean into authenticity.

The people who made an impact weren’t necessarily politicians or journalists. They were athletes, tech entrepreneurs, artists, and yes, even reality-TV hosts. They reached audiences that traditional advocacy will never reach—and they did so in language people trusted.

What I’ve learned is that when professional strategy meets authentic voices, the results are amazing. These campaigns ripple across borders, shape headlines, and remind the world that our stories—and our people—cannot be ignored.

Israel’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and hope. Our challenge now is to keep finding new ways to tell it—so that no one can look away.