Glenn Bochner speaks at CCFI event
For years, much of the pro-Israel world has found itself constantly responding to accusations, misinformation, and headlines instead of setting the conversation itself. Every new controversy turns into another round of explanations, fact-checking, and attempts to add context to situations many only spend a few seconds looking at online.
At a recent luncheon hosted by CCFI, the Cincinnati Coalition for Israel, featuring Glenn Bochner and representatives from SKIES, Sharing Knowledge & Innovations, Empowering Success, much of the discussion centered around a simple reality: modern information wars are no longer won through long policy papers and carefully crafted statements. They are fought through emotion, culture, speed, and whatever captures attention first online.
Years ago, when I attended Alexander Muss High School in Israel, one of my teachers described us as the “click flick” generation. If something was boring, we moved on in seven seconds or less. Looking around today, he may have underestimated things.
That reality creates a serious challenge for Israel supporters worldwide. Detailed explanations about geopolitics, military strategy, or historical context often stand no chance against a catchy chant, a dramatic image, or a fifteen-second video clip designed to provoke outrage.
Bochner and the team behind SKIES understand that. Their focus is on showing the world the Israel rarely seen in headlines: the innovation, humanitarian work, medical breakthroughs, technology, culture, and everyday people that make the country far more complex than the conflict-driven content dominating social media.
For a country roughly the size of New Jersey, and one that has spent much of its modern history under constant security pressure, Israel’s global impact is extraordinary. From patents and medical research to agricultural innovation and technology, Israel continues to contribute far beyond its size. Few realize how much Israeli innovation they interact with every single day, whether it is satellite technology capable of identifying forest fires when they are still little more than smoke, the PillCam technology a local friend of mine recently relied on for an intestinal issue, cherry tomatoes sitting on dinner tables every week, or even much of the smartphone and flash storage technology relied on literally every single day.
Yet internationally, Israel is often reduced to whatever clip, slogan, protest video, or outrage-filled headline is dominating social media that week, usually stripped of context and disconnected from the reality Israelis actually live in every day. The result is that misinformation about Israel and Judaism does not simply stay online anymore. It spills directly into real life, fueling a sharp rise in antisemitism across the United States and around the world.
One thing Bochner and SKIES are doing exceptionally well is bringing social media influencers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, from across the world, including the United States, South America, and Europe, to experience Israel firsthand. Rather than arguing online through endless comment sections and headlines, they are letting visitors see the country with their own eyes and experience it with their own hearts. According to Bochner, within roughly twenty-four hours, much of the negativity, hesitation, or concern many participants arrived with had already begun to disappear once they experienced the reality of Israel for themselves.
Moreover, Bochner and SKIES are bringing Israeli technology and innovation conventions to countries around the world, allowing everyday people, entrepreneurs, and business owners to experience Israeli innovation firsthand instead of simply reading about it online. They have recognized something very important: once Israel becomes tangible and personal to someone, once they interact with the people, ideas, and technology directly, they are far less likely to immediately believe the latest blood libel or viral misinformation campaign spreading across TikTok or Instagram.
The luncheon itself reflected that spirit. Community members gathered over lunch provided by Orange Spot Bistro not only to discuss the growing challenges Israel faces globally, but also how the Jewish world reconnects to pride, unity, and identity in an era dominated by algorithms, viral outrage, and short attention spans. Despite political and religious differences, there was a clear understanding throughout the room that the Jewish people are still one family, and that Israel remains deeply tied to Jewish identity and continuity.
Many years ago, around the time of the Second Intifada, organizations similar to SKIES were already focusing on emotional connection and Jewish pride in ways that clearly resonated with younger generations. In my high school years, Zionism was everywhere in Jewish youth culture. Rarely did we hide our Jewishness. Many people from my age group eventually made Aliyah and served in the Israeli army. It is refreshing to see organizations once again leaning fully into a message platform built around connection, inspiration, and pride instead of constantly playing defense online.
