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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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Former Columbia University President Appointed as UK Economic Adviser
Columbia University administrators and faculty, led by President Minouche Shafik, testified before the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce on April 17, 2024. Photo: Jack Gruber/Reuters Connect
i24 News – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has named Minouche Shafik, former president of Columbia University, as his chief economic adviser at Downing Street, a move aimed at stabilizing the country’s fragile economy and averting a potential budget crisis.
Shafik, an economist of Egyptian origin with dual British and American nationality, has held senior roles at the Bank of England, the IMF, and the World Bank.
She later led the London School of Economics and was elevated to the House of Lords in 2020.
Her tenure in the United States was more turbulent. Shafik stepped down as president of Columbia University in 2024 after just a year in office, amid fierce criticism over her handling of pro-Palestinian protests following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.
US officials accused her of failing to confront antisemitism on campus, while students and faculty condemned her decision to call in police to dismantle protest encampments.
Since returning to Britain, Shafik has played an active role in policy and cultural institutions. She advised Foreign Secretary David Lammy on international aid reform, has chaired the Victoria & Albert Museum since January, and led the “Economy 2030” inquiry for the Resolution Foundation, where she argued for reforms to the UK’s system of wealth taxation.
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Israel Mulls West Bank Annexation in Response to Moves to Recognize Palestine
The Jordan Valley. Photo: Юкатан via Wikimedia Commons.
Israel is considering annexation in the West Bank as a possible response to France and other countries recognizing a Palestinian state, according to three Israeli officials and the idea will be discussed further on Sunday, another official said.
Extension of Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank – de facto annexation of land captured in the 1967 Middle East war – was on the agenda for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet meeting late on Sunday that is expected to focus on the Gaza war, a member of the small circle of ministers said.
It is unclear where precisely any such measure would be applied and when, whether only in Israeli settlements or some of them, or in specific areas of the West Bank like the Jordan Valley and whether any concrete steps, which would likely entail a lengthy legislative process, would follow discussions.
Any step toward annexation in the West Bank would likely draw widespread condemnation from the Palestinians, who seek the territory for a future state, as well as Arab and Western countries. It is unclear where US President Donald Trump stands on the matter. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not respond to a request for comment on whether Saar had discussed the move with his US counterpart Marco Rubio during his visit to Washington last week.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the prime minister supports annexation and if so, where.
A past pledge by Netanyahu to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley was scrapped in 2020 in favor of normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the Abraham Accords brokered by Trump in his first term in office.
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States said on Friday it would not allow Abbas to travel to New York for the United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestine as a state.
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Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the press on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Israeli forces pounded the suburbs of Gaza City overnight from the air and ground, destroying homes and driving more families out of the area as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was set on Sunday to discuss a plan to seize the city.
Residents of Sheikh Radwan, one of the largest neighborhoods of Gaza City, said the territory had been under Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes throughout Saturday and on Sunday, forcing families to seek shelter in the western parts of the city.
The Israeli military has gradually escalated its operations around Gaza City over the past three weeks, and on Friday it ended temporary pauses in the area that had allowed for aid deliveries, designating it a “dangerous combat zone.”
“They are crawling into the heart of the city where hundreds of thousands are sheltering, from the east, north, and south, while bombing those areas from the air and ground to scare people to leave,” said Rezik Salah, a father of two, from Sheikh Radwan.
An Israeli official said Netanyahu’s security cabinet will convene on Sunday evening to discuss the next stages of the planned offensive to seize Gaza City, which he has described as Hamas’ last bastion.
A full-scale offensive is not expected to start for weeks. Israel says it wants to evacuate the civilian population before moving more ground forces in.
HAMAS SPOKESPERSON TARGETED
Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that Israeli forces had targeted Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson of Hamas’ armed wing. Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Abu Ubaida was killed. Two Hamas officials contacted by Reuters did not respond to requests for comment.
Gaza health authorities said 15 people, including five children, were killed in the attack on a residential building in the heart of Gaza City.
Abu Ubaida, also known as Hozayfa Al-Khalout, is a well-known figure to Palestinians and Israelis alike, close to Hamas’ top military leaders and in charge of delivering the group’s messages, often via video, for around two decades, delivering statements while wearing a red keffiyeh that concealed his face.
The US targeted him with sanctions in April 2024, accusing him of leading the “cyber influence department” of al-Qassam Brigades.
In his last statement on Friday, he warned that the planned Israeli offensive on Gaza City would endanger the hostages.
On Saturday, Red Cross head Mirjana Spoljaric said an evacuation from the city would provoke a massive population displacement that no other area in the enclave is equipped to absorb, with shortages of food, shelter and medical supplies.
“People who have relatives in the south left to stay with them. Others, including myself, didn’t find a space as Deir Al-Balah and Mawasi are overcrowded,” said Ghada, a mother of five from the city’s Sabra neighborhood.
Around half of the enclave’s more than 2 million people are presently in Gaza City. Several thousand were estimated to have left the city for central and southern areas of the enclave.
Israel’s military has warned its political leaders that the offensive is endangering hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of the hostages have intensified in the past few weeks.