2021
Annual Report

Consider the following two statements:

Social media today represents the most significant threat there is to the wellbeing of young people whose understanding of the world, and indeed sense of self, is heavily informed and shaped by the type of content, often hostile to Jews and to Israel, that they are consuming for many hours each day. 

Social media represents an incredible opportunity like none before, to reach young people across the globe at scale, and provide them with highly compelling, informative, and inspirational content that can positively shape their relationship to Israel, to Judaism and to the Jewish people. 

I believe both of these statements are true. And it is precisely for this reason that OpenDor Media – through our unique educational approach that combines an unambiguous and transparently positive relationship to Zionism and all things Jewish, alongside an embrace of complexity and commitment to unpacking difficult issues in a way that nurtures credibility and trust – has a critically important role in deepening people’s understanding of, and positive connection to, Israel, Judaism and the Jewish people. 

There are many instances over the last 12 months that powerfully demonstrate the importance of our work. 

Here are just three:

1. In May as Israel found itself in the midst of another escalation of hostilities with Hamas, people turned to YouTube and TikTok and Instagram to learn about the conflict. While Israelis were under fire from Hamas missiles, social media users were also faced with a barrage of antisemitism and misinformation all over the web. During the May conflict, viewing numbers on our Unpacked YouTube channel tripled with 1.33 million monthly views of videos such as “What is Hamas?” providing a critical counter-narrative to much of the other “information” to be found.
2. In the days before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we ranked in the top five on Google for those searching for “High Holidays.” That drove significant traffic to our Unpacked website where people were able to learn more about the holidays and their meaning.
3. In November, antisemitic vandals broke into a fraternity house at George Washington University and desecrated a Torah scroll. We shared a short video on TikTok documenting the incident and the response of the local community. It went viral within minutes and, within two weeks, the video had been viewed 1.8 million times and 150,000 people had engaged with it. 

I hope, as a much valued supporter and partner in our work, you share our pride in the scope of our activities and achievements to date. At the same time, we are under no illusions about just how much more there is to be done to meet this generational challenge and we look forward to continuing to invest and grow in the coming months and years. 

Thank you for your support and friendship,
ANDREW