Scrolling through social media one can be disheartened by reel after reel of anti-Israel propaganda with vile antisemitic comments. But Jewish actor, comedian and filmmaker Zach Sage Fox is cutting through the hate, using his social media platforms with over a million followers to make viral videos that counter antisemitism and misinformation about Israel.
Zach’s unique flair, humour and chutzpah has enabled him to break down barriers to interview anti-
Israel protesters, often exposing their lack of knowledge about the conflict. They chant “From the river to sea, Palestine will be free”, and when Zach asked which river and which sea, some couldn’t answer.
He has also gone undercover at a US college’s Jewish Voices for Peace Shabbat meal to reveal that a member embraced “resistance by any means necessary”. Other videos are satirical like the game show “Does Hamas want to kill you?” with the answer being yes if you support gay rights, democracy and feminism.
Speaking to The AJN, Zach said he was inspired to make these videos in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas atrocities.
“What’s the point of being an influencer if you’re not actually going to be influential when it matters?” he remarked.
“I don’t think it’s so crazy that I use my platform to speak up. I think it’s insane that so many people with way bigger platforms said nothing.”
He expressed disappointment with Jewish celebrities like Adam Sandler, Larry David and Seth Rogen, saying they “don’t have anything to say about antisemitism, which I think has been really disappointing for not just me, but millions and millions of Jews”.
“I looked up to all those guys as they seemed like proud Jews, but at the end of the day, I don’t think they were so proud … or they just want to pick and choose what it means to be Jewish. But if you’re only going to talk about the positives of being Jewish, and you’re not going to talk about the pain of being Jewish, then we’re not really talking about being Jewish … You’re just sort of profiting off the punchline of being Jewish,” he said.
The filmmaker has put himself in dangerous situations to document antisemitism, including travelling to the West Bank where he interviewed Palestinians about their views on the prospects for peace with Israel. What he found was overwhelming support for Hamas.
“It was shocking. I really thought that there were going to be some people who wanted peace, or anyone who wanted peace … it was like peace is a dirty word to the Palestinians.”
Zach said the interviews changed his perspective about the conflict.
“I went into the West Bank believing in a two-state solution. I left that day thinking, the two-state solution is totally dead, and I’ve been a fool for believing in it,” he shared.
“It became very clear that it wasn’t about land, it wasn’t about statehood. It was about eradicating Jews and killing Jews and wiping Jews off the face of the earth.”
The influencer said he “almost died on that trip” as “Palestinian thugs started cornering us and having us shut down the cameras.” According to Zach, a group of Palestinian men threatened to hurt him if he didn’t delete the footage. The footage was later recovered which formed his video “The Wild West Bank” which has over 5 million views.
He also puts himself in risky situations attending anti-Israel protests. Reflecting on his interviews with pro-Hamas activists who have called for the death of Zionists, Zach shared, “I don’t even know if I believed in evil until I started interviewing people like this. But to know that these are people, that a lot of them are educated, they’re in college, they live among us … I think there’s a lot of troubled young people who really hate themselves, and it’s easier to hate the Jews … There’s 3000 years of past precedent to grab onto.”
Discussing the intersection of wokeness and extremism, which has become fashionable amongst young people particularly in New York where Zach lives, he believes that the young are particularly susceptible.
“Antisemitism is not new at all, what’s new is social media. What’s new is that social media has made the most viral antisemitic campaign in history.”
Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels could have only dreamed of social media, Zach said. “He used the radio, to the best of his ability, which was the new technology at the time, to brainwash Nazi Germany, but social media would have seemed almost godlike to the capabilities of the Nazis.”
Zach described being briefly banned from TikTok for a video in which he calmly explained that “Israel is the only country in the Middle East that allows gays to live freely, and that in Gaza they throw gays off roofs.”
Zach believes TikTok is the worst of the social media platforms. “I’ve had videos taken down where I’ve interviewed hostages and tried to get their story out … They have no mechanism to stop antisemitism, nor do they care. So, I think that’s how antisemitism really has become fashionable, because it’s right in front of our eyes.”
He highlights that social media algorithms will always favour anti-Israel content due to population numbers.
“If you know there’s two billion Muslims, if you know a fourth of them are reposting things about Free Palestine, that’s half a billion people engaged on social media reposting complete propaganda,” he said.
Zach’s response has been to focus on high-production content that can break through social media algorithms. A recent video he produced showed strangers shocked by videos of Hamas propaganda indoctrinating children to kill Jews. It gained over one million views in 24 hours.
“We need more investment in the production social media side of things,” he said, and criticised some Jewish organisations for outdated approaches to advocacy that ignored the influence of social media.
Zach entered the entertainment industry young, performing stand-up at 13 and making YouTube videos at school. When he was 12 he went to a weight loss camp and became friends with Omri Dorani and together they founded Fat Camp Films. At 17 Zach and Omri developed a prank-themed television show for Disney called Just Kidding. They also wrote and directed a feature film, How to Get Girls, starring Zach, which was acquired by Hulu, and have produced movies and television shows for Amazon and HBO MAX.
Zach said he was inspired to be part of the entertainment industry because of successful Jewish creators in Hollywood.
“I went into this industry because I was so honoured to be a part of this world that was so built by Jews. Six of the eight first Hollywood studios were built by Jews,” he said.
“All these Jewish idols let us down. They obviously don’t want to be a voice for the Jewish people. They’ve all made that very clear.”
The filmmaker continues to produce approximately 10 videos per month through his production company, with ambitions for additional funding so that he could produce over 50 videos per month to help combat what he sees as an ongoing information war against Israel and the Jewish people.
“If we [Israel] can be that smart and small on the battlefield, we can still be that smart and small on the digital battlefield … that’s my new passion in life.”
Zach Sage Fox will be the guest speaker at the WIZO Victoria Gala on August 14. To book visit wizovic.org.au/gala
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