We Need 1 Million More Jews on Social Media
“You should spend less time on social media,” the saying goes. It is true: the adverse impacts of social media and screen time on our social, mental, and physical well-being. Detoxing and digital wellness are essential to our well-being. Yet with the explosive rise of antisemitism and now even outright Nazism, we need more Jews on social media. Not scrolling, not liking or even sharing, we need at least one million more Jews to speak out on social media.
This year, X (formerly Twitter) rolled out a new feature showing the country of origin of each account on the platform. While many expected it, the scope of foreign countries generating antisemitic content, presenting themselves as American, was shocking. The tsunami of hate flooding young Americans’ screens is not only the algorithm favoring hate, conspiracy theories, and antizionism; thousands of accounts around the world are specifically targeting American Jews, with not nearly enough pushback.
With the explosion of online hate, antisemitism, and anti-zionism after October 7th, many Jews, myself included, took to social media to defend our people. Young people who had never been on social media before, older people who didn’t know how to use social media, and everyone in between, took to defending our people on social media. Most often those defending our people on social media do so for no reward or compensation, and often pay the price of being harassed and targeted online. While some like to portray those of us speaking out online as “influencers,” “seeking clout,” or people benefiting from this online presence, at the end of the day, it is a huge toll and a liability. Not speaking for each and every case, but in most cases, it is done out of a sense of duty. We see our people maligned, we see Israel being misrepresented and unfairly targeted, and we speak out.
While I used to love posting about my sermons, books, academic thoughts, or whatever I enjoy discussing—like any normal person on social media—everything has changed since October 7th. I am not the only one. I have come to see and admire people whose social media presence was dedicated to an interest, a hobby, or even their own livelihood, who have changed course and now use their channels to defend our people.
People like Montana Tucker, Logan Levkoff, Lizzy Savetzky, Shai Albrecht, and many others have dropped everything and dedicated themselves to defending the Jewish people against a tsunami of hate and disinformation. No one should minimize such efforts. People who put themselves out there defending our people often end up enduring extraordinary amounts of abuse, threats, harassment, doxxing, and a barrage of negative messages.
While I did not reach nearly as close to an audience as some of the larger influencers, I, too, have done my best to speak out for our people on every channel I possibly can.
While we thought we would get a break once the war in Gaza was over and the hostages would be returned, the war in Gaza has morphed into a global war on Jewish communities of unprecedented proportions. The global scale of social media allows hundreds of millions of people in foreign countries to lean in and fan the flames of hate from thousands of miles away. While no one doubts the need to speak out against antisemitism on social media, it is time we make the following clear to our Jewish brothers and sisters: we need your help. We cannot do this alone.
While bad-faith actors pour great deals of money into promoting antisemitism online, Jewish volunteers are left fending for themselves while fighting against incredible odds. Would adding another ten, a hundred, or a thousand more Jewish voices online make much of a difference? Probably not. Yet if we had one million Jews intentionally join social media with the intention of countering the poison of antisemitism flooding our next generation’s screens, that would have a meaningful global impact on antisemitism. We cannot change the TikTok algorithms in Beijing, nor can we counter the tens of billions of dollars the Qatari government spends on amplifying hate against our people, but a mass effort to make social media spaces less hostile to our people will make a difference.
Community Security Service (CSS), now found in almost every major synagogue in America, was founded in 2007. I remember having a conversation with other prominent rabbis about this new organization and the concept of volunteer-based synagogue security. It was a new concept, yet today we all understand how vital it is. The same is true for social media. Instead of anticipating young minds radicalized on social media to act out, instead of playing defense, it is time to change what those young people see. It is time for synagogues, Jewish Federations, and Jewish communities to encourage one million Jews to join social media and change the narrative.
To make a difference, you don’t need to post about complex issues in the Middle East; you can post about Jewish food, Jewish history, Jewish innovation, family history, why you are proud to be Jewish, or anything that leaves a positive impact. So, let’s get out there and make a difference.
