Iran’s Attack on Israel
6 min read
Jordyn Tilchen grew up knowing nothing about Israel. Now she’s a leading online Israel activist.
“Horrible in every sense of the word.” “God’s Lil Brat.” “Awful and unfeeling.” “Mossad woman.”
Not what you’d typically see in someone’s Instagram bio, but Jordyn Tilchen is not your typical influencer.
The young writer and activist has a large social media following and unapologetically loves Israel. She’s not going to let the haters win.
“I’m a strong, loud Jewish voice who is pro-Israel, so people call me names,” she said. “It’s an indicator that I’m doing the right thing.”
The Long Island, New York native grew up in a non-religious Jewish home and attended a Conservative temple with her family, but she didn’t know much about Israel.
“When we discussed the meaning of the holidays and how they tied into Israel, it always seemed mythical and ancient in a way I couldn’t connect to,” Tilchen said.
Then her cousin convinced her to go on Birthright when Tilchen was 23 years old.
“I tried to get out of it many times,” she said. “But I went and it was very eye-opening. It actually changed my life.”
On Birthright, Tilchen explored the country and had an especially memorable moment when she visited the Western Wall.
“I thought I would just see the Wall and say ‘That’s just a wall.’ I figured I wouldn’t really feel anything. But there I was, a Jewish person, standing in front of the Wall, and our guide explains to us that we are our ancestor’s dream realized 2,000 years later. I got chills on my arms and realized that I am part of this story. I am somehow intrinsically tied to this place. That was when I realized that there was so much more I needed to explore.”
Jordyn at the Western Wall
Tilchen was intrigued and returned to Israel numerous times. She wanted to learn and soak in as much as possible.
When the pandemic hit and she was suddenly laid off, she started seeing the anti-Israel sentiments and antisemitism online. It seemed to be everywhere.
“I noticed that Shein put a swastika necklace up for sale and a famous football player put up a quote he attributed to Hitler. That’s what prompted me to start speaking out.”
She saw that young Jewish people felt like they had nowhere to turn and no one relatable to speak to. Tilchen’s age and personal experience with antisemitism enabled her to relate.
At one of her jobs, when she was interviewing Israeli actress Shira Haas about starring in “Unorthodox,” her coworker said some troubling things to her. “An editor said, ‘Did you confront her about Israel?’ I said, ‘The show isn’t about Israel.’”
She overheard another person in her office say, “Israel is a horrible place and no one should go there. It’s an apartheid state.”
She was hesitant to go to human resources to talk about what happened. Instead, she lived with the discomfort.
“I knew it felt off but I didn’t know what to say,” Tilchen said. “This was before I had properly educated myself and knew how to respond. In hindsight there was so much more that I could have done.”
Tilchen’s goal is to connect with young Jewish people who may be in similar situations in facing antisemitism. She hopes to talk to students in schools as well as their parents about what students are going through on college campuses and online.
“It’s really essential to know how to handle the abuse.”
This past December, Tilchen was scheduled to speak on a panel called “Jewish Identity & Antisemitism in America” at Columbia University. It was going to feature other pro-Israel voices including Eden Cohen and Ilana Wolstein. Then the university indefinitely postponed it (without a new date), claiming that there was going to be a low turnout for the event since it was during finals week.
“We will never know what was happening behind the scenes, but I know there were many complaints from students and faculty about us speaking because we’re pro-Israel,” Tilchen said. “The gist I got was maybe the panel was not as diverse in viewpoint as some anti-Zionists wished it would be.”
Tilchen plans to make a docuseries on Israel with her friend Eden Cohen, who is the senior advisor for the Office of the Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel, as well as journalist and activist Eve Barlow.
“We’ll deliver a real-time perspective of what Israelis and Israel are really like,” Tilchen said. “It’s a deeper dive into the personal stories of people who live there.”
Tilchen and Cohen are also going to be starting a media company that’s geared towards Gen Z and millennial Jews who are “maybe not getting a full picture of what’s happening in Israel or are being swayed into being anti-Israel on campus or online. We can provide young Jewish people with factual information and resources before they inundated with anti-Israel propaganda on social media or by their peers at school.”
Tilchen believes it’s possible to criticize Israel without being antisemitic. “Get a group of Israelis together and you'll hear them air their grievances in the first 10 minutes. Criticism of Israel similar to criticism of any other country is not antisemitic, but unfortunately, so much of what we hear about Israel is not merely criticism. To deny Israel's right to exist, to attempt to erase thousands of years of Jewish history in the levant, to accuse Israel of genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing... that's not criticism. Legitimate criticism comes from people who want to see Israel be better, not from those who wish to see it fail.”
The influencer is going to keep posting her opinions online – even if they aren’t well received. She’s committed to stand up for what she believes.
“Social media offers young Jews the chance to build communities, but it’s also a platform for some of the most aggressive antisemitism we’ve seen in history. It’s tough, but I don’t see a reason to stop talking. We need more strong, unapologetic voices in this space.”
1. Don't be afraid to take up space. Your voice matters. Your experiences matter.
2. Do thorough research. There's so much to learn about Jewish identity, Jewish history and antisemitism. It's important to know what you're talking about before posting to avoid the spread of disinformation.
3. Speak in layman's terms. Try to simplify complex concepts for those who may be learning about Jewish issues for the first time.
4. Know when to log off. You can't pour from an empty cup, so make sure to carve out time for self-care.
5. Find humor in the madness. Haters are gonna hate, so you might as well laugh at the insanity.
You go girl! You are right about being educated about Israel. Unfortunately, college students do not learn history and have not learned from the past. Also,it is sad to say a lot of Jewish students in America do not have any idea about their rich Jewish Heritage. How many young people know that Hayim Salomon helped George Washington pay his troops and helped pave the way for America to be free. He started the stock market and died a poor man giving all his money for the American cause. So whoever goes on social media let them first get rid of their cell phones, all technology including waze and medicine before criticizing Israel and the Jews. Bottom line they are showing how ignorant they are. The left is showing its true colors. Ignorance is bliss?