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Hen Mazzig’s New YouTube Series to Be an ‘Unapologetic Celebration of Jewish Identity’ With Star-Studded Guests
Hen Mazzig speaking to NBA Pacers Executive and Pacers Foundation Chair Rachel Simon in his YouTube series “And They’re Jewish.” Photo: Screenshot
Israeli author, activist, and social media influencer Hen Mazzig will host a new YouTube series in which he talks with a diverse group of Jewish personalities about how they connect with their heritage and Jewish identity.
The co-founder of the Tel Aviv Institute will host the weekly series “And They’re Jewish,” which premieres April 2 on his YouTube channel but will also be available to listen to as a podcast. The digital series has nine episodes so far – with potentially more as Mazzig conducts additional interviews with guests – and will give viewers an insight into the personal lives of stars like “Will & Grace” actress Debra Messing, who will appear in the premiere episode of Mazzig’s series, “Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik, and Emmanuelle Chriqui from “Entourage.”
The series showcases the diversity of Jewish voices including Alexandra Socha – who played Glinda in the Broadway show “Wicked” and Esther Maisel on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — Eyal Booker from “Love Island,” NBA Pacers Executive Rachel Simon, actor Etai Benson, “Stranger Things” actor Brett Gelman, and artist Zoe Buckman.
“My hope is that it will be a way to engage with Jewish people that is beyond just trauma, and to humanize Jews,” Mazzig, 34, told The Algemeiner. “There is nothing on the big screen or on TV that is really humanizing Jews in a way that is approachable [and] that you can connect to.”
“Jewish identity shouldn’t be controversial,” he added. “The fact that simply being openly Jewish in the media feels radical, is a big problem. And I want to live in a world where Jewish identity is as normal as any other identity. Where Jewish actors, artists, and musicians can just proudly embrace their heritage without fear. ‘And They’re Jewish’ is a step towards this future.”
Mazzig traveled around the world to speak with his guests for the digital series. He made stops in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, and London. The activist himself was born in Israel but has family roots in Iraq and Tunisia. His ancestors immigrated to Israel as refugees, and he lives today between Tel Aviv and London.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, nearly 9,000 antisemitic incidents took place in the US in 2023, a year unlike any since the organization began tracking such data on antisemitic outrages in 1979. Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found that anti-Jewish hate crimes in the US spiked to a record high that same year. Despite Jews making up just 2 percent of the US population, antisemitic hate crimes accounted for 67 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes and 15 percent of all hate crimes of any kind recorded by the bureau.
“And They’re Jewish” is Mazzig’s unique approach to combatting the rise in antisemitism, he explained to The Algemeiner.
“Jewish representation in mainstream media is shrinking. Jewish identity is erased and reduced to cliches or only discussed when it’s tied to trauma or conflict,” he said. “And since Oct. 7, [2023], I’ve done whatever I can to help our community, and speak up and hear the truth about the conflicts and about the challenges that our community is facing.”
“‘And They’re Jewish’ was really a product of a lot of pain, so much pain for our community – for the Jewish friends I have in America, and the UK, and to see how much we’re being abused and othered,” Mazzig continued. “And I thought to myself, ‘How can we fight it in a more effective way to really impact our community?’ That’s how ‘And They’re Jewish’ came about. I’m reclaiming Jewish visibility, but not through the lens of victimhood. But through joy, success, and unapologetic celebration of Jewish identity.”
“And They’re Jewish” premieres April 2 on YouTube.
The post Hen Mazzig’s New YouTube Series to Be an ‘Unapologetic Celebration of Jewish Identity’ With Star-Studded Guests first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Germany’s Halt to Arms Exports to Israel Is Response to Gaza Expansion Plans, Chancellor Says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen
Germany’s decision to curb arms exports to Israel comes in response to Israel’s plan to expand its operations in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday in an interview with public broadcaster ARD.
“We cannot deliver weapons into a conflict that is now being pursued exclusively by military means,” Merz said. “We want to help diplomatically, and we are doing so.”
The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s plans to expand military control over the enclave have pushed Germany to take this historically fraught step.
The chancellor said in the interview that the expansion of Israel’s operations in Gaza could claim hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and would require the evacuation of the entire city of Gaza.
“Where are these people supposed to go?” Merz said. “We can’t do that, we won’t do that, and I will not do that.”
Nevertheless, the principles of Germany’s Israel policy remain unchanged, the chancellor said.
“Germany has stood firmly by Israel’s side for 80 years. That will not change,” Merz said.
Germany is Israel’s second-biggest weapons supplier after the US and has long been one of its staunchest supporters, principally because of its historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust – a policy known as the “Staatsraison.”
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Newsom Calls Trump’s $1 Billion UCLA Settlement Offer Extortion, Says California Won’t Bow
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference, accompanied by members of the Texas Democratic legislators, at the governor’s mansion in Sacramento, California, U.S., August 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Saturday that a $1 billion settlement offer by President Donald Trump’s administration for UCLA amounted to political extortion to which the state will not bow.
The University of California says it is reviewing a $1 billion settlement offer by the Trump administration for UCLA after the government froze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding over pro-Palestinian protests.
UCLA, which is part of the University of California system, said this week the government froze $584 million in funding. Trump has threatened to cut federal funds for universities over anti-Israel student protests.
“Donald Trump has weaponized the DOJ (Department of Justice) to kneecap America’s #1 public university system — freezing medical & science funding until @UCLA pays his $1 billion ransom,” the office of Newsom, a Democrat, said in a post.
“California won’t bow to Trump’s disgusting political extortion,” it added.
“This isn’t about protecting Jewish students – it’s a billion-dollar political shakedown from the pay-to-play president.”
The government alleges universities, including UCLA, allowed antisemitism during the protests and in doing so violated Jewish and Israeli students’ civil rights. The White House had no immediate comment beyond the offer.
Experts have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over the Republican president’s threats. The University of California says paying such a large settlement would “completely devastate” the institution.
Large demonstrations took place at UCLA last year. Last week, UCLA agreed to pay over $6 million to settle a lawsuit by some students and a professor who alleged antisemitism. It was also sued this year over a 2024 violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters.
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Trump Nominates State Dept Spokeswoman Bruce as US Deputy Representative to UN
FILE PHOTO: U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during her first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as the next US deputy representative to the United Nations.
Bruce has been the State Department spokesperson since Trump took office in January.
In a post on social media in which Trump announced her nomination, the president said she did a “fantastic job” as State Department spokesperson. Bruce will need to be confirmed for the role by the US Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority.
During press briefings, she has defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions ranging from an immigration crackdown and visa revocations to US responses to Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza, including a widely condemned armed private aid operation in the Palestinian territory.
Bruce was previously a political contributor and commentator on Fox News for over 20 years.
She has also authored books like “Fear Itself: Exposing the Left’s Mind-Killing Agenda” that criticized liberals and left-leaning viewpoints.
In a post after Trump’s announcement, Bruce thanked him and suggested that the role was a “few weeks” away. Neither Trump nor Bruce mentioned an exact timeline in their online posts.
“Now I’m blessed that in the next few weeks my commitment to advancing America First leadership and values continues on the global stage in this new post,” Bruce wrote on X.
Trump has picked former White House national security adviser Mike Waltz to be his U.N. envoy. Waltz’s Senate confirmation for that role, wherein he will be Bruce’s boss, is still due.
Waltz was Trump’s national security adviser until he was ousted on May 1 after he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides on military strikes in Yemen. Trump then nominated Waltz as his U.N. ambassador.