Standing in the halls of Westchester Hebrew High School—the only Modern Orthodox, co-educational high school in Westchester County—students from Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and throughout Westchester, including many from Bukharian Jewish families, were learning coordinated digital activism to fight modern antisemitism.
A Crisis That Demanded Action
After October 7th, antisemitism exploded online. “The lies were spreading faster than any generation could imagine, and most Jewish organizations lacked the tools to defend against socially amplified hate,” explains David Kristal, Co-Founder/Co-chair of Emissary, a 501(c)(3) non-profit created in response.
The organization was founded by David Kristal and David Burton and is led by Ken Greer—community leaders who understood a simple reality: digital hate requires digital sophistication.
But Emissary’s evolution reflects something even bigger.
Last year, Minds and Hearts—the organization I co-founded with Daniel Rosen, a community leader and seasoned entrepreneur in Westchester, New York—merged with Emissary. Our grassroots organizing model and campaign methodology became the backbone of what is now Connect.
What Is Emissary?
Emissary(https://www.emissary4all.org/) is a technology platform and free mobile/web application uniting Jewish and non-Jewish communities to combat antisemitism through three core functions:
Today - Curated daily content, vetted by professional staff, providing users timely, shareable stories, articles and videos to counter hate and promote Jewish understanding.
Connect - A dynamic digital hub for houses of worship, schools and campus groups to organize, advocate and mobilize through custom groups, campaigns and real-time member activation. This is where the real power lies—empowering communities to activate themselves on social media through coordinated action.
Ask Emissary - An AI assistant ready to answer questions about antisemitism, Judaism and Jewish history.
The Power of Connect
“There is a small, loud and very organized group that is defining the current conversation in dangerous ways,” explains Daniel Rosen, Emissary Co-Founder/Co-Chair and my partner in building Minds and Hearts. “We must organize to be a counterpoint to those who spread disinformation and falsehoods.”
That’s exactly what the Connect feature does—it harnesses the power of community, empowering users and groups to organize and take meaningful action. Last year, when Minds and Hearts merged with Emissary, we brought our community-organizing expertise and technology methodology, which evolved into the Connect feature. This merger unified grassroots mobilization with institutional reach, creating a complete platform that empowers everyone from individual advocates to major organizations, houses of worship, schools and influencers to fight antisemitism together.
Groups can be any size, formed organically or through existing organizations. Each group is led by a Champion who guides activities, monitors progress and manages communications. Groups are assigned action-oriented missions that leverage community strengths and match member interests.
The Bukharian Connection
For Bukharian students at Westchester Hebrew High School, the fight against antisemitism carries special weight. Many come from families who fled persecution in Central Asia and know firsthand what it means to face hatred for being Jewish.
Daniel Ohana and David Akilov, both 12th graders from Queens where many Bukharian families have settled, spoke passionately about why this matters. “My view on antisemitism is that it’s one of the biggest fronts that Israel is going against right now—social media,” Daniel explained. “I think that if we battle the social media and battle the antisemitism, Israel will be able to make itself look better for pro-Semitism and more values that we can gain from it.”
David Akilov added: “In my life, honestly, growing up in Queens, there’s a lot of antisemitism flowing around. I’d just like to say that it’s very good that there’s an organization that’s really pro-Semitism and that favors our side of the story and just puts our stories out there. Honestly, I really, I really prefer this organization.”
How Missions Activate Communities
Sara Nisarov, Emissary Field Organizer, delivered a dynamic presentation to students that captured how Connect turns concern into coordinated action. “I want to invite you to advocate on behalf of the Jewish people in different ways,” she explained. “What do I mean by a mission? There are many different types of missions.”
She gave concrete examples: “Raise your hand if you shop at Sephora. I’m sure many of you have heard about Huda Beauty and the vile antisemitic video that she made. After that happened, there was a petition that was shared to basically encourage Sephora to drop Huda Beauty, and we helped blast that petition. So signing the petition is an example of a mission.”
“Another example of a mission could be something as simple as liking, sharing, and commenting on a specific post,” Sara continued. “Now you might think, if I just click like or if I just comment on a post, how’s that helping the Jewish people? So I always like to say that when one person responds, it’s commendable. But when we all respond, it’s powerful.”
This is the essence of Connect—empowering communities to activate themselves on social media through coordinated campaigns. “The whole concept behind Emissary is power in numbers. The more people we have—schools, synagogues, influencers, and other groups—the more people that are active and actually complete the missions, the more powerful and effective we can be. With just maybe 90 to 120 seconds a week of your time, you can really make an impact.”
Sara made clear that Emissary isn’t just reactive. “Our focus is to combat antisemitism, but also to increase pro-Semitism—to increase the unity and the love and understanding of who the Jewish people are and how powerful we are when we are united and work together.”
When thousands complete the same mission simultaneously across different groups and communities, algorithms notice, trending topics shift, and truth fights back. This is how communities activate themselves—through guided, purposeful action that creates meaningful impact.
Student Voices
Emissary has been gaining tremendous traction in the community with recent high school launches at Westchester Hebrew High School, The Leffell School, Yeshiva of Flatbush, SAR High School, and HAFTR. The hope is to have all Jewish day schools on board by the end of this year. Emissary is supported by generous philanthropists and received seed funding with a major gift from UJA Federation of New York.
At Westchester Hebrew High School, students are already seeing the impact:
Reece Cohen: “We’re only 0.2% of the world. I think it’s important for us to look out for each other because there’s a lot of hate towards us.”
Emily Strobel, whose cousin Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff was killed in the Bondi shooting, became a champion: “I think it’s amazing to spread light when there’s so much darkness.”
Rachel Ehrman from the Bronx: “I wanted to learn about the antisemitism that’s going on so I can help speak against it. People take it as a joke, but this is not something to joke about.”
Adle Weiss: “Being on social media has exposed me to a lot of antisemitism. It’s important to have something that could connect us and fight back.”
Dean of Student Life Lisa Kahn Kriegel: “It provides our students, many of whom feel helpless, an opportunity to make a huge difference in just minutes on their phone.”
The Path Forward
Watching students from different backgrounds—Ashkenazi and Sephardic, from Manhattan and Queens, from Monsey and the Bronx—unite around this cause, I felt hope. The Bukharian community knows intimately what it means to carry forward traditions through centuries of challenges.
This generation’s innovation? You don’t need to be a tech genius. You just need 90 seconds, a smartphone, and the willingness to show up.
From Queens to Westchester, the battlefield is social media. Antisemitism is a viral disease. But so is Jewish pride, solidarity, and truth. And we’ve finally got the tool to make it spread.
Watch full Video Interview here
https://youtu.be/ABicT-9pqDQ?si=XfljXewpEmtvgHLu
To learn more about Emissary and download the free app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play and search for Emissary4All.
About the Author
Aaron Herman is a nonprofit fundraiser, video journalist, and growth strategist focused on Jewish storytelling, advocacy, and community mobilization. His video segments and reporting have been featured on national and Jewish media outlets, and he is a sought-after consultant for organizations looking to expand their digital reach and engagement. Aaron holds a BA from Binghamton University and an MPA from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU. He lives in White Plains, New York, with his wife, Tani, and their sons, Michael and Ari. Aaron can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Westchester Hebrew High School Students Lead the Digital Fight Against Antisemitism
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