Everyone seems to be missing the point. Jewish influencers using their voices to protect and uplift our people is a beautiful thing, and I’m grateful for it. But that’s not what Adam Scott Bellos’ op-ed was about. And while I prefer to be seen as a grassroots Israeli activist, I know I fall into the “influencer” category too.
Being a proudly Jewish advocate, activist, or public figure is important work. And yes, everyone deserves to be compensated for their labor. The problem isn’t that influencers are paid, it’s that major legacy organizations are spending tens of thousands of dollars on appearances at galas, schools, and synagogues while Nova massacre survivors and hostage families struggle to make rent.
Influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, who don’t live in Israel, didn’t serve in the army, don’t vote here, and don’t pay Israeli taxes, should not be prioritized over the voices of those who do. Donors may love the flash of a famous name, but their happiness should never outweigh the need to educate the next generation with the stories of survivors, soldiers, and Israeli voices living this reality every day.
Those of us who have spent the past two years under near-constant rocket fire from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the IRGC are the ones qualified to represent our country.
Being on the frontlines isn’t glamorous. It’s sitting through sirens in the middle of the night, comforting neighbors who’ve lost family, and witnessing firsthand the devastating impact of war. It’s organizing evacuations and supporting families whose lives have been upended. It’s spending months after October 7 visiting each kibbutz that was attacked to film and spread the word, at great mental health and financial cost.
It’s burying our murdered friends and grieving with their families. It’s understanding nuance, history, and politics because you live it, breathe it, and pay taxes in the system that governs it. That depth of experience cannot be downloaded from Instagram followers or YouTube subscribers.
Be an American Jewish influencer, really. Thank you for doing that work in the diaspora. Spread Jewish joy and pride. I have respect for Adela Cojab and understand why she defended what she and many diaspora influencers did, I just think she missed the point. But don’t criticize our protests if you’re not here.
Don’t try to steer Israeli politics when you can’t vote. Your platform is powerful, but it shouldn’t be elevated above those of us on the ground who live this every single day. I don’t have beef with any of these American Jewish voices. I do, however, think some of them have forgotten that the same privilege that allows them to have a large online following puts them in a different place than the Jews and Israelis that they're advocating for.
The idea that influence can exist in a vacuum is a dangerous myth. Influence is about context.
It’s about lived experience. An influencer may inspire, but they cannot replace knowledge forged in rocket fire, in bomb shelters, or in the streets where protests demand justice. They cannot fully grasp the weight of representing a people under attack, navigating politics that directly affect life and death, and carrying the voices of survivors forward in ways that matter.
I’ve often described the Jewish activist and creator community as one big mechanism. It works when everyone does their part. I’ll keep doing mine. I expect others to do theirs. If we want this ecosystem to thrive, we need accountability, responsibility, and alignment between platform and reality. Otherwise, we risk amplifying voices for optics rather than impact.
And please, stop telling us that internal disagreement is divisive or dangerous. We’re Jews. We argue, we disagree, we yell, and then we hug it out over bread and wine. Unity is beautiful, but blind unity is cultish, and that isn’t Jewish. Holding ourselves accountable is. It is not sinat chinam to hold our community accountable and demand we do better. It is actual activism, and it is crucial to our survival.
The Jewish way of developing knowledge and faith is through both internal struggle and debate. Accountability can’t only come from outside the tribe. It must live inside our own communities, among the people doing the work every day.
Not a critique of diaspora Jews
Finally, I want to make one point clear. This is not a critique of diaspora voices. Many American Jews do incredible work raising awareness, fighting antisemitism, and supporting Israel from abroad. But their advocacy should be complementary, not a replacement.
Those of us who live here, face the consequences, and carry the scars, physical, emotional, and social, must remain central to the conversation. Because while influence can reach wide audiences, lived experience shapes truth. And truth is what preserves a people. We can all be part of the mechanism. But let’s make sure it functions properly.
Elevate the voices who have been on the frontlines for years. Listen to survivors. Prioritize Israeli educators, activists, and soldiers. Support those living the reality rather than those who observe it from afar. Influence without context is empty. Influence with context is transformative. That is the kind of advocacy that will actually make a difference.
As I always say, our creator and activist community truly functions as a well-oiled machine, as long as everyone does their part.
Hallel Silverman is an activist and content creator. Raised in Jerusalem and living in Tel Aviv, she has become a leading voice on and offline for Liberal Zionism. A third generation IDF veteran, with over a decade in Israel Advocacy, Hallel has created and executed content for dozens of major organizations. She is an associate at the Tel Aviv Institute.