English-speaking immigrants serving in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit are at the forefront of the war of words in Operation Swords of Iron.
Jonathan Conricus was born in Jerusalem to a Swedish father and an Israeli mother, and he spent his formative years in Sweden. He told the Magazine how his childhood was divided between the two worlds. Having multiple perspectives has fueled his commitment to challenging the narratives about Israel.
His beloved city of Malmo is now one of the most contentious cities in Europe, where threatening pro-Palestinian demonstrations and clashes are on full display.
“I left with my family at 13, and in general I had a great upbringing and a good environment, but Jew-hatred and bullying were present... far less than today,” he said.
Conricus is now a prominent IDF spokesperson. He expresses facts, figures, and sentiment for media outlets such as CNN, NBC, the BBC, Fox News, and on his own Twitter account which has a following of some 96,000.
“The fact that I grew up in Sweden, outside of Israel, has given me an understanding of how to communicate with people who are not Israeli in terms of tone, choice of words, and body language,” he explained.
Malmo has undergone significant demographic changes and today has Sweden’s highest percentage of Muslims. The city exhibits strong anti-Israel fervor; in early November, headlines highlighted protesters who were burning Israeli flags outside a synagogue.
Conricus served in the IDF for 24 years, four of them as spokesperson during the intense 11 days of the Guardian of the Walls Operation between Israel and Hamas. Now a reserve officer, he focuses on American media during the overnight hours so he can service TV channels during their relevant hours, always aiming at providing a different perspective. He says that people in the West see a lot of his face, and it’s because he works the graveyard shift.
While the military man is a natural in front of the camera, delivering similar concepts over and over again to the world, one challenge he faces is navigating the media landscape, often filtered through a lens that is outright unfriendly to Israel. He and his team brainstorm ways to counter this, using social media to present information transparently and rapidly. Those messages come directly from the IDF.
Conricus highlighted issues with the press, his top gripe being journalists not independently verifying data. He referenced the attempt to blame Israel for bombing the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. The global community believed the Hamas claim and the massive number of casualties listed (all shared in an unrealistic timetable). Most news institutions quietly walked back on their headlines when Israel provided evidence that it wasn’t true.
He frets over how journalists use whatever the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry reports as its death toll. He says the figures are remotely accurate but inflated, with the number of civilian women, children, and elderly highly conflated, with the age group of 17 to 35-year-old men underrepresented in relation to the composition of the Gazan population. Conricus explained that this is due to Hamas choosing not to release information about combatants. When asked if the IDF can identify the information independently, he said the challenge is not having access to the Gazan morgue or hospital.
“The challenge of regular legacy media is that it’s all filtered through the journalist’s perception of what’s going on, and that filter isn’t a positive one toward Israel. Twitter and YouTube and Facebook are good ways of getting it out without filtering,” Conricus explained. “I urge journalists to be better and more professional and say that information is provided by one of the parties. Or say, ‘We cannot verify independently from Hamas.’”
When the Magazine asked him what a best-case scenario for the war looked like, he described an immediate surrender by Hamas and minimal civilian suffering.
“The ultimate goal is the eradication of Hamas, allowing Israelis to return to normalcy and establishing a stable structure for the future.”
When reflecting on other nations that were beaten down in an effort to eradicate terrorism, he highlighted Germany during World War II.
“Many had been active in the world’s biggest crime, the Holocaust, and that country was rebuilt and turned into a good example of human development and prosperity,” he illustrated.
Despite political and internal challenges, Conricus is certain that Israel still stands as a success story. He believes Jews around the world should come home to the Holy Land. Comparing it to a robust investment, he highlighted the nation’s potential for prosperity and celebrates its culture and tradition.
“Israel has proven it’s a stock worth investing in. If it were a business or a stock... it’s a tremendous investment and I believe in it, despite political issues.”
When asked what his take-away message for olim was, Conricus, speaking on the phone, raised the volume of his voice.
“We will prevail. We have no choice but to prevail,” he said, confidently.
“All of the other enemies we have will understand what fate awaits a terror organization that has the audacity to butcher Israeli citizens like Hamas did.”
Bridging the cultural differences: Richard Hecht
Reservist Richard Hecht is another oleh (immigrant) celebrity of the IDF Spokespersons Unit. The Scottish Israeli’s biggest problem, he said, is dealing with a world that has “a short memory.”
“My mission, and my branch, and my people’s mission is to amplify and explain the massacre that happened here on October 7 and make sure I keep reminding everyone of why this started,” he said.
Hecht is spending much of his time sharing strong visuals with journalists and taking them to see the scenes of the atrocities.
“The olim have to tell the story to their relatives abroad and keep them connected.”
He worked his way through combat and foreign affairs roles for the Israeli Air Force. After going into retirement, he was called back a year ago.
“It wasn’t really a logical decision [returning to reserves]... but with what is happening now... it’s karma. Everything I’ve experienced and learned is coming to fruition right now,” Hecht said.
Getting people to relate and identify: Peter Lerner
Peter Lerner is another IDF spokesperson on reserve duty. Lerner moved to Israel from North London at the age of 12. He’s also the director general of the International Relations Division (Histadrut) for Israel. Before his military retirement, Lerner led a staff of 70 as the IDF spokesperson for foreign media. He has spent 25 years serving in the IDF working through crisis and controversy. Lerner routinely speaks on TV networks, offers information to the New York Times, and disseminates data on X to his following of 59,000.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) ranked Lerner fifth among its most influential people on “Jewish Twitter” in March of 2016. By November 2017, Jewish News ranked him number 18 on its “Aliyah 100” list of those who have made a significant contribution to the State of Israel.
Throughout his military career and civilian life, he has always considered himself to be a clarifying bridge, working to speak on behalf of Israel, the Israeli military, and Israeli society at large.
“The fact that I am British born and raised is absolutely an asset to mitigating the [cultural] differences. It’s relatable, and it’s not defeatist,” he said. “Sometimes the Sabra side comes out. The prickliness of Israelis does not cross borders in a way that people can understand.”
Lerner explained that it’s not just about making up an English translation for the media. It is about getting people to relate and identify.
“If they object to everything... at least they say it sounds familiar and that they understand. [They might say] ‘Let’s have a beer and discuss it further,’” he said.
Lerner feels that working in media relations is his calling.
Through the Magazine, Lerner sent a message to other olim in Israel, telling them to share the Israeli narrative to their foreign networks as well; to share their experiences, even when they feel frustrated: “Write letters of complaint to poor, sloppy media outlets; utilize what you have, and that brings our story to the world.”
He concluded: “I would say that if you have the ability to communicate in whatever platform, circle, or arena, you must speak up. “It doesn’t matter what your political views are. Israel is made up of a diversity of voices. Engage in what you believe. Bridge the differences that the world doesn’t understand.”
As the interview came to a close, Lerner quoted lyrics from the song “Yareach” by Israeli artist Shlomo Artzi: “Etmol haya tov, ve’yihye gam machar.” (“Yesterday was good, and tomorrow will be good too.”)