A Whisperer to the Stars on the Middle East Conflict
Many in Hollywood have struggled to navigate how to talk about their support for Israel on social media. Some of them have turned to Hen Mazzig for advice.
Hen Mazzig
Hen Mazzig is an Israeli writer, speaker, and digital creator described by The New York Times as one of the most nuanced online commentators on Israel and Jewish issues of our time.
A globally recognized Jewish voice, he has appeared across four continents on outlets including MSNBC, BBC, CNN, Sky News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. His content reaches over 100 million users monthly across nearly a million followers from all of his social platforms combined, making him one of the most influential Jewish voices online.
Born in Israel to a family of Mizrahi heritage-- with roots in Iraq and Tunisia-- Hen’s family story of displacement from the Middle East shapes his work as a bridge between cultures. He served for five years as a humanitarian officer in the West Bank and Gaza, working as a liaison between Israeli security forces, the Palestinian Authority, and international NGOs.
After earning a degree in Middle Eastern and Jewish Studies from Bar-Ilan University, Hen began speaking internationally about identity, antisemitism, and Jewish history. He has since lectured at more than 500 universities and events worldwide.
Hen is the co-founder of the Tel Aviv Institute, a research and media organisation combating antisemitism and misinformation about Jews. His bestselling debut book, The Wrong Kind of Jew (2022), explores the Mizrahi Jewish story and the complexities of Jewish identity in modern discourse.Hen is also the creator and host of And They’re Jewish, a YouTube series celebrating Jewish creatives and cultural figures from around the world, and has led viral online campaigns, which challenge stereotypes and highlight the diversity of the global Jewish community.
His impact has been recognized globally: he was named among The Algemeiner’s Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life (2018, 2021), one of the Top 50 Most Influential Jewish LGBT Voices (2020), recipient of CAMERA’s Portrait in Courage Award, one of The Jewish News’ Top 20 Young Jewish Creatives in the UK (2024), and one of The Jerusalem Post’s 25 Most Influential Young Jews (2023) and 50 Most Influential Jews in the World (2025).
Picture: Blake Ezera
Hen Mazzig discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on BBC World News.
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