What the war means for influencers

Mai Kakish’s nearly 50,000 Instagram followers delight in her family recipes for the fresh yogurt dish labaneh or the pomegranate stew rummaniyeh.

The Christian Palestinian-American uses social media to maintain ties with her heritage and counter harmful stereotypes. But these days, as she shares pro-Palestinian content, her Instagram has become more of a war zone. 

That’s something Jewish and Palestinian influencers have in common lately.

Social media was once a place for Palestinians and Jews to share empowering content about their identity and culture. But now the internet has become an extension of the fighting in Gaza. Jewish and Palestinian content creators like Kakish are increasingly face threats of doxxing and physical harm to them or to their families.

The angry outpouring has had a chilling effect on some and a rallying effect on others who are pushing back against the groundswell of antisemitism and anti-Muslim sentiment.

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