The Charlotte Jewish News - May 2022 - BONUS
The Most Pressing Issue Facing Jews Today: Social Media and Misinformation, a Student Essay
By Natalie Ben-Yohanan As a Jewish teen, I have experienced the horrors of antisemitism on social media platforms. In modern society, social media has a huge prevalence in most of our lives, creating yet another platform for antisemetic posts, comments, and messages to be shared. Social media allows millions of users to view and share
posts, as well as stories. We have all been taught at a young age that not everything we see on social media is true. Much of the information found regarding Jews and Israel on social media is either false or taken out of context, harming Jews all over the world. I believe that the most pressing issue facing Judaism today is the spreading and sharing of misinformation across various social media platforms. Misinformation, although it isn’t credible, shapes the opinions of millions of social media users. As an example, we can take a look at May 2021, a time period where tensions between Israel and Hamas increased and received global media attention. As the conflict gained more at-
tention, many people, including those that hadn’t done previous research on the topic, began reposting infographics filled with misinformation and accusations regarding Israel and Judaism. Even here in Charlotte, I engaged in discussions about the topic and found that people I knew had developed biases based on what they saw on social media. Along with anti-Israel arguments, these posts were filled with antisemitism. When people blindly follow others in reposting and sharing content without any prior research, they are harming the overall image and safety of the Jewish people. To those that have not done prior research, what they see on social media stays ingrained in their minds and forms bias-
Watch: “Spring Is a New Beginning” with Miss Debby (Debby Block), storyteller and Jewish Federation of Greater’s Charlotte’s Center for Jewish Education’s program coordinator. More of Miss Debby’s storytimes can be found at https://jewishcharlotte.org/cje/storytime.
Watch: “Shavuot Storytime” with Miss Debby (Debby Block), storyteller and Jewish Federation of Greater’s Charlotte’s Center for Jewish Education’s program coordinator. More of Miss Debby’s storytimes can be found at https://jewishcharlotte.org/cje/storytime.
es. Due to this, I see the spread of misinformation as the most pressing issue facing Judaism today. Anti-Zionist ideas, antisemitism, and blatant hatred are spread on social media, harming Jews all over the world. To combat this, we must use our voices to educate those around us. Starting small, we can engage in conversations with our classmates and friends about Judaism and why antisemitism online is such a large threat. As part of ClubZ, an organization dedicated to helping Jewish teens advocate and educate others, I have learned about Jewish history and am able to use this information to educate others, both online and in person, and encourage others to speak up as well. Social media isn’t going anywhere, and
we will still be presented with the problem of misinformation, but even in our small numbers, Jews can work together to educate others and advocate for our community. Natalie Ben-Yohanan is a 10th grade student at Hough High School. She is involved in organizations including ClubZ, NFTY, and was part of the First Jewish Youth Assembly, sponsored but the World Jewish Congress. Editor’s Note: We hope you enjoy this essay in addition to those of the winner and runner-up on page 8. Natalie’s essay did not have the opportunity to be judged for the contest, but we believe her message is one that should be heard.
AJC Poll: American Jewish Millennials Care About Israel and Are Largely Unworried About How It Is Perceived Ron Kampeas, April 26, 2022 (JTA) American Jewish millennials have positive feelings about Israel, even when they answer questions that are infused with anxiety about its status. That’s according to a poll released Monday by the American Jewish Committee that found that most Jews aged 25-40 think Israel is necessary to the survival of the Jewish people (69.6%), and that it’s important for American Jews to maintain close ties with Israel (72.8%). A majority, 64.7%, said they took pride in Israel’s accomplishments. They said they believe that 90% of American Jews cared about Israeli Jews. And as much as the respondents felt affection for Israel, they were not overly worried about how the country is perceived, even when the AJC’s questions suggested that there is an anti-Israel climate on campus or elsewhere, or that Jewish and Israeli survival are at risk. Asked whether the “actions of the state of Israel have made my life as an American Jew more difficult,” 58% said the
phrase did not describe their experience. Asked whether “The anti-Israel climate, on campus or elsewhere, has forced me to hide my Jewish identity,” 62.2 % said this did not describe their experience, and 10.9% said they didn’t think there is an anti-Israel climate. The poll elicited similar results when it asked respondents whether “the Anti-Israel climate, on campuses or elsewhere, has damaged my relationships with friends.” The results were not all sunny. A third of respondents said Israeli actions have in fact made their lives more difficult, and one in five said anti-Israel sentiment had corroded their friendships or caused them to hide their Jewishness. The two AJC officials who shaped the poll said they baked implicit assumptions about how Israel is perceived and discussed into the questions because they wanted to sharpen the answers respondents gave. Such assumptions are typically avoided in surveys because they can influence how people answer. (Continued on next page)
