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French YouTube Channel Tackles False Narratives About Israel, Jews in an Effort to Combat Antisemitism
Some of the videos featured on the “On déballe!” YouTube channel. Photo: Screenshot
A recently launched French-language YouTube channel aims to combat misinformation about Jewish and Israel-related topics, and help stop the spread of antisemitism, by providing young French speakers with educational videos based on facts and the truth.
The YouTube channel “On déballe!”,” which translates to “We unpack”, features videos on Judaism, the Jewish people and Israel that were originally shared on the “Unpacked” English-language channel, including one on “The History of Ethiopian Jews” and another that discusses how a boycott of Israel harms Palestinians instead of aiding them. Some other videos debunk antisemitic conspiracy theories and stereotypes, like myths about a “Jewish-looking” nose and lies about Jews running the slave trade in America. The videos are translated into French, which is the fifth most spoken language worldwide, and hosted by native French speakers.
“Unpacked” is a division of OpenDor Media, a non-profit media organization that produces and distributes short-form educational videos as well as full-length documentary films about Jewish- and Israel-related topics for a young audience. The company says it hopes to impact as many people as possible with its content and make Jewish education, values and stories accessible to all. Its name is inspired by the Hebrew word Dor, which means “generation.”
In 2022, the organization had 9 million YouTube video views and 1,811 institutions used their education materials, according to its website.
“We believe that misinformation can lead to ignorance and hate, and by providing accurate, nuanced, and thoughtful content, we can inform audiences with credible information on Israel and the Jewish people and do our part to combat antisemitism,” OpenDor Media’s Chief Executive Officer Andrew Savage told The Algemeiner. “Unfortunately, antisemitism is increasing rapidly in France, and around the world, and our hope is that by shedding light on the truth, we can help turn this troubling trend around.”
The YouTube videos on “On déballe!” discuss topics that would cater best to a French audience — like the Dreyfus Affair and whether or not Napoleon Bonaparte invented Judaism — as well as what was successful and popular among audiences on the “Unpacked” English channel, Savage explained.
OpenDor Media started talking about creating a French-language YouTube channel aimed at counteracting false narratives about Jews and Israel more than a year ago, when antisemitism was on the rise in France. However, following the “alarming” global rise in antisemitism following the deadly Hamas massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, “we began producing the content with more urgency,” Savage said.
He added that since Oct. 7, “Unpacked” has experienced on its English channel an increased interest in content about the Jewish people and Israel.
“The kind of ignorance and misinformation that leads to some of what we’ve seen on college campuses and elsewhere over these last few months existed before October 7. The antidote to that is education,” he added. “And so, even pre-October 7, we had been seriously considering how we could expand to reach new audiences in other languages. October 7 certainly added a degree of urgency to those plans. It also meant that many more people began reaching out to us from other countries asking if we would consider creating content in French, Spanish, German, Portuguese and other languages. Having tested the model in French, we would love to be able to do the same in these and other languages.”
The post French YouTube Channel Tackles False Narratives About Israel, Jews in an Effort to Combat Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.