October 7, 2023 will forever be remembered as a day that the world witnessed Jewish hate on a level not seen since the Holocaust.
The terror of rape, burning babies and kidnapping of residents of both Israel and over 20 countries awakened Jews around the world. Antisemitism united Jews in a way politics, entertainment and culture never did.
Suddenly Jewish leaders emerged, not elected officials or rabbis, not executive directors or presidents of organizations, not even Jewish public figures like Oscar winners.
Meet the world of Instagram digital creators. Young, often pretty and surrounded by teams of stylists and assistants, “influencers” are very good at doing just that, sharing opinions without enough facts and history in the fight to be the voice of the Jewish people or in attempts to discourage and demoralize them with hatred and spite..
Worse, they often are chosen to speak up by mainstream media outlets. These stations and publications have millions of followers, including Israeli and Jewish enemies. They have becone another front in the war.
Many Jewish social media influencers are not helping to spread the facts.This past week, I noticed multiple serious “mistakes” and worse, too many followers complimenting and sharing the misinformation.
Example 1: A “new” Jewish voice, actually a personality in a totally different business until mid-October, shared a long post and statement thanking multiple media outlets for their fair and accurate reporting about antisemitism. That is a falsehood to top all falsehoods. Among the grateful words was a “shocker.” She thanked MSNBC and Donny Deutsch. Deutsch, who is a Jewish, has been an analyst on the station for years. In 2020, on air, he called one in three Americans racists for trusting Trump. Real Clear Politics picked up the story. He also attacked Trump for calling out Iran.
MSNBC videos are online with Deutsch’s rants. You can see his remarks supporting Black people - probably many of the same people marching and saying “from the river to the sea.”
Example 2: A woman reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked me to join her new group. I declined because I couldn’t find factual information about her or her group. Boy, was I smart! Days later, she made a post of herself standing alone in front of the private residence of the United Nations Secretary General. She was a group of one demanding the release of all hostages.
A total embarrassment.
Successful negotiations are made by elected officials in private meetings in business locations. I didn’t approve of people attacking Senator Ted Cruz in a restaurant, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and his family at their home or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his private residence.
Example 3: Probably considered the most important voice fighting antisemitism today is an actress and bestselling author who also shares some “questionable” information from time to time. She recently shared a video with another celebrity with an opening disclaimer that stated, “We are pro-Palestinian and anti-Hamas.”
Hours before the filming of the video, the Associated Press shared a Palestinian Arab poll in the Palestinian Authority area that showed a rise in Hamas support and close to 90% wanting Palestinian Authority leader Abbas to resign and be replaced by Hamas
They don’t represent me or many true Zionist activists who have been at the forefront of activism for many years. The “guest” on this video shared a video of Louis Farrakhan she had to delete after she was publicly criticized.
Three incidents within days. That doesn’t include the endless accolades all over social media expressing gratitude for Second Man Doug Emhoff. Orthodox rabbis who embrace him and share on social media should be embarrassed. What is worse, his daughter raised millions for an organization supporting Hamas in November, or that he married two women out of his faith.
There are rumors that Jewish philanthropists are helping fund the supposedly pro-Israel influencers. Their money would be better spent on stronger spokesmen.
Just as social media have ruined personal interactions for dating and job interviews, they are distorting the fight of ending antisemitism. I am told that in Israel, Iranian bots and radical leftists are spreading false information about the war and sowing dissension and hate in an attempt to break the country's spirit. Fake accounts, account stalkers and bias analytics make this harmful in so many ways.
Perhaps it is time for Jews to unite and instead of asking for blue boxes to fight antisemitism we should boycott social media for a day, a weekend or even a month.
Cindy Grosz is an award winning media personality, brand ambassador and Jewish activist. She is the host of “The Jewess Patriot” radio show on multiple AM and FM stations throughout the United States and streamed through Jewish Podcasts out of Jerusalem.
Hear The Jewess Patriot here: Jewish Podcast Website: https://lnkd.in/en56vdZF