Is Gen Z The Enemy? TikTok Megastar Baby Ariel Tackles Anti-Jewish Bigotry & Pro-Israel Advocacy

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the hate comments you get do those bug you still oh my God Tik Tok is like a breeding site for anti-Semitism what is different about Ariel Martin she goes there and others with the same platforms don't feel that responsibly if you're not going to stand by who I am as a human being I don't want you in my [Music] life so I've talked a lot of about Z before definitely on social media I think maybe on this show but in prepping for today's episode I realized how unfair and lame that is all Prejudice comes from some combination of fear jealousy ignorance or bitterness towards some group we are not a part of and we express our displeasure in a guarded nasty totally unproductive way and so it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that my first jenz guest on the show is one who will undoubtedly change some of your preconceptions of her and her peer group at 24 years old she is a social media meast star with 50 million followers across platforms multiple TV appearances song releases and a book to her young name maybe that's what you might have guessed but she is also genuine grounded uniquely talented and an unabashed advocate for Israel and the Jewish people something we were told Jen zers didn't do she does and with Millions watching I'm so glad she's here ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Ariel Martin thank you so much that was such an intro oh my goodness you know I I it's all true every word of it thank you thank you for having me psych that you're here online you are known as baby Ariel yes I am that's your moniker M what about offline like are you baby Ariel like who are you right now who am I talking to offline I am Ariel Martin Ariel I added Rebecca into my bio after it's my middle name after October 7th I was like okay Ariel Martin I hate to say it doesn't sound Jewish enough but I was like I need people to know and so I added Ariel Rebecca and I changed my email too to like Ariel Rebecca I was like I have to I have to put it out there but are they the same person baby Ariel and Ariel or is there like a Persona to to the baby that's such a good question you know I think when I first started social media baby Ariel was a separate person like online when I started on musically I did a lot of like very inyour face musically videos with big facial expressions and like super hardcore into it I did a lot of like dancing videos very over the toop with like my fashion and just who I was online and then I think you know I started social media when I was 14 years old so and now I'm 24 so it's been 10 years of like kind of I think I lived a lot of my formative years on a screen and I didn't really know who Ariel Martin was I only knew who baby Ariel was and I knew that she was out there and she was this big personality and so over time I had to really figure out who Ariel Martin was and now I think they've kind of become one because I've gotten more comfortable with Who Ariel is and I was able to put her on screen as baby arel I love that answer and I got to say you know I I as I was prepping for this episode I watched a ton of your videos um what did you watch so no the so the one that like I've watched like 20 times is your very recent stupid yeah stupid so I know so you became known back in the day for doing a stupid ho what you get you're just laughing I'm saying stupid ho on being Jewish you know that's what it's called right Nick Minaj Stupid Ho great song you did a a lip sync on this app musicly which has since been bought by Tik Tok and merged into Tik Tok and that's how you sort of rose to startom on that platform yeah [Music] you a stupid how you you a stupid how but then you just did another version of it and I thought this version was so much better like miles above your first one you can see the growth and you can see as you're talking about it like a different like maturity and comfort level it like comes across [Music] what I loved about I start to watch it like 10 times it's your your talent comes through very clear it's as you described like very expressive yeah almost and I mean this as a compliment like cartoony yes in a really good way like you know I I I used to work at Family Guys so I have like a little bit of Animation background I just started watching Family Guy like just discovered it yeah so my parents didn't let me watch like you know the South Park and the Family Guy even SpongeBob sometimes it was they let you put yourself online but you couldn't watch Family Guy Family Guy line I just discovered Family Guy welcome to part is so good yeah it's it's the best it's it's incredible but anyways you know I I know a little bit about animation and in animation the bigger the eyes the more expressive the character can be and you have these big green eyes and in that video especially like you got the lashes going the way you like move your eyes so sharply and like the facial really appreciate your analysis on my musically because I never nobody's ever done that before and I really thank you for it you're so welcome I want to jump back to how you and I met yes uh which was we met at at least one hostage family visit I think probably the one I mentioned in the monologue of the show do you remember if you were there with uh with ry's father was speaking I might have been actually it might have been that one there was one where I know you were sitting in front of me and we hadn't met yet but I was like obviously like huge fan I'd seen all of your work and because you know after October 7th I kind of had to do like a deep dive into what the is going on here and so you were one of the people I found and I was like oh you know you these tweets and the threads and you just say everything so beautifully and so I knew who you were but I have social anxiety so I probably didn't say hi then and then where did we meet after that so we we met at at least one or two of those and then I saw you again at the Nova exhibit for sure in La I'm not that active on Tik Tok you don't have to be I I started it you know really for this podcast is why I started like we have a Tik Tok and I just got a new phone and I can't even redownload it onto the new phone it's blocked can't even get it so now I'm locked out no Tik Tok for but so when I when I first met you I didn't know who you were cuz I'm not on that platform where you've blown up your Vibe is so humble and unassuming thank you which you know you would never know I was like all right who is this person oh 30 2 million followers like wa is it a credit to your parents a little bit would you say absolutely my parents my parents are the most incredible people in the they're just really amazing and like from day one it's my career has always really been a family affair which I really appreciate like everything I do my mom goes with me especially like now I'm an adult and I'm living on my own and it's awesome but starting when I was younger she would fly out with me to La all of the time time my dad when I was going on tour for the first time I did a social media tour my dad he trailed behind the tour bus in like a Scooby-Doo van we like to call it and so my whole life and especially like with Judaism and Shabbat dinner it's always been about family and so they've kind of I don't know that just grounds you it's my world yeah yeah let's go into October 7th so let's do it help me understand like what did your life day-to-day sort of look like leading up to October 7th and how drastically did that change and how quickly I'm from Fort Lauderdale Florida and I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood and my school was very diverse and the way I like to put it is that everybody was different so nobody felt different really that's sort of the goal right yeah everybody was different people of all different backgrounds religions and now looking back I do recognize that I was one of like three Jewish kids in my grade I always felt a little different but it never really strongly occurred to me because my friends were so supportive and growing up I did you know Shabbat dinner at my soft and papa every Friday but I never really figured out where my Judaism lay I knew my soft and Papas they were modern Orthodoxy they kept kosher I knew my parents they were a little bit less than my grandparents they didn't keep kosher but like on Passover we'd you know we' we'd keep kosher and then when I moved to LA I hadn't really found my alignment with Judaism yet how how old were you when you moved to LA I started flying out when I was like 16 17 for like auditions and work and then I think permanently settled down when I was like 1819 I want to say still relatively young anyways in your Jewish Journey yes absolutely yeah but it was always around me growing up um we did you know Passover Russ Hanukkah all of the things and then I moved to LA and I don't know what it was I just I hadn't found myself spiritually yet and I think I'm still going through that Journey but I didn't know what it was yet I know what I want to do so I kind of like everything Jewish I just didn't really think about it and it's sad for me now but it wasn't a thing to me as much as like my sofa like nailed it into my head that like you need to marry a Jewish man and you need to do Shabbat and you need to this it was like okay SAA like we're fine everything's fine and then October 7th happened and that was like everything that my grandparents had planted into my brain growing up that I completely had pushed away from came screaming to the surface and I was like okay wait a second they were right and something's wrong and so October 7th was really a wakeup call for me and it was kind of a wakeup call in how I think ignorant I was to to all of it but it happened and that's when I really was like okay I need to go full hands in here and figure out what I can do to help I think I like hibernated in my house for like two weeks kind of just completely floored I was like what is going on and so yeah my entire world flipped upside down and it really became like I don't know enough Ariel now you have to do the work and learn as much as possible how are you doing that work what does that look like for you I literally got a notebook I sat down and I watched video after video after video and I try I hope I remember most of it now but it was like I have notebooks of like timelines of like okay 1917 1933 deep history di yeah I was like I need to learn because I think when October 7th happened and none of my circle was posting about anything and I reached out I was like hello what are you guys what's going on why is nobody posting I was there for you I posted when you needed help my Jewish friends posted when you needed help and now nobody's posting for us and when they were combative with me about you know the history and the facts and I realized I didn't know anything I was like okay I need to be able to have these conversations if I'm going to go and and be such a staunch supporter which I absolutely am going to do I need to know what I'm talking about and I still don't know I do my best but you know I've said this before on this show yes arming yourself with information always breeds confidence and is helpful but the information should have nothing to do with I'm your friend and I'm going to show up for you when you need me I agree with you I agree a th% with you and I but I think the problem that I had in the group that I was in was that that didn't matter and and that's where I was really like oh my God you people suck yeah those are not friends you should be having I let them go I'm not friends with them anymore I was like no no no but it's that's what's so sad to me now is that my personal experience should be enough for you my grandma's from Israel I've my whole family lives in Israel I've been there three times listen to your Jewish friend and for some reason that is not enough yeah yeah it's frustrating Jews don't count no have is that on your reading list have you read Jews don't count by oh my God no I should read it great book yeah who's it by uh David bedil David badil okay Jews don't count it's like sort of the one of my like starter kit books you need to make me a starter I'll a little starter I've done a lot of YouTube and like we'll do it right now so everybody can get it I I posted the I posted three of them I'm adding a fourth I would say David medal's Jews don't count and if you do the audio book he reads it it's great oh love Dara horns people love dead Jews I want to read that one really important perspective she's coming on the show soon super psyched about that that's she's on my Mount Rushmore of like Jewish thought leaders Noah tish's Israel I think it's just a really digestible way to sort of understand Israel from the perspective of someone who's Israeli right Sarah herwitz is here all along I think is a really great sort of intro to Judaism book from someone who's like I'm going to figure out what Judaism is about who's not like a rabbi or a scholar or whatever yeah like one of just just a person it's very conversational and like it's terrific oh I love that's my little starter kit okay yay good I'll get them all you mentioned that before October 7th with your family you were doing holidays and whatnot then you come to LA and this is right comment like I've actually heard the same story even on this show then I get to La I'm career focused I'm like finding my way the Jewish stuff sort of Falls away a little bit because you don't have the built-in Community or the now it's you got to like have to make something if you want it since October 7th have you gotten more involved communally or ritualistically or whatever what does your like day-to-day jewishness look like so it's funny the thing that I have always aligned most with about Judaism is this like the ability to ask questions and so I think every day I'm still you know I'm someone who asks questions and I try ask other people questions ask myself ask my family but my number one is that Judaism is about spreading light to kunam and being a good person and you know I do practice I'll go to friend's houses for Shabbat now a lot whereas prior to October 7th that wasn't anything that I thought I was like I don't want to go to shabbat I spent my whole life going to shabbat every Friday at my softest house I don't want and then now I'm like I need Community I want to be with because I didn't really have a lot of Jewish friends and now it was now I'm you know I try my best to show up and be go to events and as much as I'm like it's always to go and be there for other people it's always I think all of us need to feel right now this sense of community totally makes total sense and I think everybody's feeling that yeah what's your fan base been like I mean has there been a shift in who your fan base is have they been supportive what's what's that been prior to October 7th I think I had some Jewish followers but not really because I really didn't talk about Judaism online like a crazy amount and then after October 7th when I started speaking out I lost um a lot of followers what's a lot look like to somebody with 50 million followers I want like hundreds of thousands okay like yeah that's a small percentage by everyone some some losers by but I gained a ton of Jewish followers and Israeli followers and incredible allies of the Jewish and Israeli Community as well and so that's really shifted I think my audience has become also a little bit older because I'm speaking about you know more mature things you're reaching people you weren't reaching with just the lip sync videos or whatever right before I was just like but I'm and I'm really happy about it because I I before October 7th I wasn't like we talked about at the beginning like I wasn't arel online I was baby arel I was a Persona I was putting on a mask when I go and I wasn't really myself and now I've been able to really say okay this is me this is fully me because Judaism is such a massive part of who I am and I've discovered it such a massive part of who I am and I think I put it away for so long so I was like okay we don't have to talk about religion I'm like no this is who I am it's where I come from so now I'm able to fully be myself and with that I've gained such an incredible group of followers who you know young Jewish girls specifically who I think really feel lost right now who are struggling at school who are struggling with their peers I get a lot of messages from girls in Israel who are don't know how to navigate certain things and so I'm grateful that I've built really a beautiful community of Jewish people who just who are like okay let's we can talk together on this page and feel safe and that's what makes me happy does it feel better would you say to be this full authentic version of yourself abely yes 100% and that's why I think I've I was like so frustrated with a lot of like my other Jewish friends I won't name names who like after October 7th didn't speak out and they have a platform and I'm like guys you're going to feel so much better if you just you put it all out there online you're going to lose the people who you don't you never need it in the first place and you're going to gain the people who will really look to you for comfort and peace so I think it's really freeing to just be able to be yourself it's like why not I hope people are paying attention to what you just said it's something that a lot of my guests have said on the show it's something that I try to always highlight through my guests on the show because to a person everybody speaks of how it feels better it's more authentic you're gaining new opportunities new followers that that fear of what you're going to lose is you know so diminished by the reality of what you're going to gain exact 100% yeah that's it but about the fan base like let's let's put the new ones aside for a second what about the ones who have been there since the beginning and liked you for you know what you had been doing yeah are you able to hear or response from that portion of your audience specifically and how are they responding to this new Fuller Ariel I've been really grateful that I think I've of course like I've lost a few of them but the ones who have been there since the beginning they have really stuck by me and I really appreciate it like just these accounts of like I don't know who's behind the screen but I love them like you know before October 7th they were posting like Ariel's new Tik Tok video and then after October 7th they're posting Ariel's new Tik Tok video talking about Israel and so like just that time I'm like this is probably a 13-year-old like and just that level of support I'm so grateful for because powerful it's it just I'm like you know you you don't have to do it and even though I really hope people do support us as much as humanly possible but they do it and I'm really appreciative of those people because I think allies are you know when we're Jewish and or Israeli like OB we have a connection to it but I I think it's really really powerful when I see someone who isn't connected in that way and who's kind of like I know how hard it is right now to speak out against the anti-Semitism I know how hard it is to speak up for Israelis right now so when you don't have a connection to it and you do it anyway knowing the risks I think that's I really just love those people it feels absolutely amazing yeah it's like the greatest sign of love and support that you could ask for right I'm like you don't have to do it but you're doing it it's really amazing shout out to all the Allies yeah we love you what about like in terms professionally of like brand deals or business opportunities whatever have those shifted changed at all absolutely um and I think the funny part about those is that they'll never explicitly say it like I which I never expected them to but it's like it's always like okay we've you know we've decided to go a different route because of timing I'm like there's no problem with timing right my schedule is open you could we can do oh we decided to go a different way because of and I'm like come on like okay just at least be upfront with it and I'm like at least you know we can have a conversation and I can show you if I haven't made myself clear online about that I'm a person who wants peace and I'm loving and I'm like then we can let's have a conversation but they kind of like just you know they don't say anything so it's hard to I feel like part of it's just like you know they have to be so like annoyingly neutral lot so it's like it it might not matter what you're advocating for but the fact that you are like talking about something talking about anything means like well you know she can't sell this lipstick if she's talking about something that isn't lipstick you know you're totally right it just makes me sad totally it still sucks I'm just you know I'm just thinking about it yeah have you gotten like any new opportunities from from brands or companies who are like oh my God I love what you're doing a couple who are like Israel founded have Jewish Founders but not to the extent that it was prior to October like are you feeling the hurt I was hurt for a little bit because I used to get for example acting wise I like people don't want they might not want someone who is like we just talked about who has totally on one side in their movie and their film and so auditions they slow down and like brand Deals they slow down and I was hurt for a while cuz I was like wait a second my whole life I thought of the next 50 years doing this one thing but I've figured out first of all the Israeli and Jewish Community is so incredibly supportive and that's what I love so much about us is that we kind of all rally behind each other at this moment because I think we're all feeling the same thing yeah my boyfriend actually texted me this morning about a teacher one of his teachers at a school who lost their job or left because of the anti-Semitism at school and so we're all kind of going through this thing together and we've able to Rally with each other but I've decided and I've had to for my own sanity to like be creative in the ways that I do my job I will say for the acting side of it it slowed down for everybody I mean the whole industry slowed down all the auditions run away the production contracted so just to make you feel better I wouldn't read too much into that part I mean everybody is struggling that I think you're totally right I think but there is like my little like insecure Part of Me no one's given you an indication that it's a Jew thing right no yeah I think it's probably just part of the general slow yeah what about your friend group like we talked about sort of your influencer friends what about were those your IRL friends too or you have a you had a different group of friends and like how have they responded since different group of friends that's a whole conversation we got time okay great living in La a lot of my friends were slash are very how do I put it um like very social justice group of people and so when October 7th happened I was really really angry at them because I was like wait a second you have used your platform prior to other social injustices when you see discrimination you speak up about it online you use your platform no matter how many followers you post about it why is it different now that it because it's Jews because it's Israelis and so I really struggled with that and I did lose a few friends and it was some friends they didn't want to be my friend anymore and they didn't want to like they couldn't be in the same room as me and like my appearance I guess would spark anger for some and then for some people I had I decided I was like look I can't do this anymore because I I don't know it's like the same as like the the followers online who unfollowed after October 7th if you're not going to stand by who I am as a human being I don't want you in my life I can't like this is like my ancestry this is who I am as a human this is my what do you want me to do about what do you want me to do and so if you are unable to stand up for me online like I don't trust you to stand up for me if you hear someone at a bar saying something mean about Jews I don't know if you're going to say stand up for me I don't know if you're going to stand up for me when you hear somebody talking badly about Israelis because you know you have such a warped view of Israel I don't trust you with that I've found such a beautiful group of people in the Jewish and Israel space who kind of like they we're all going through the same thing yeah yeah I can relate to that yeah for sure I think it's such a sickness in our in our society that that I can't even be in the same room with you thing because you and I have a different understanding of a certain situation right I I just it's it's a shame that we feel like that's the way that we have to are supposed to behave today and it what's sucks to is that these are people who don't necessarily have a connection to the conflict of course not they they have none at all no no no connection I'm like okay so you're going to not be in the same room as the person whose SAA was born in Israel in 1947 whose whole family is there right now and hiding in shelters you don't want to be right how I don't understand I don't problem it's a real problem has it happened to you too no good the majority of my friends are old friends nice from Jewish Day School Jewish summer camp or like a couple from jobs that I've done a long time ago uh and the ones that I'm like still close with are the people who like I'm still tight with them because they're like genuine wonderful human beings right who have pretty much all been supportive for the most part and I like there's one friend I had who like we were able to have a little discussion or whatever and like it's exactly what it should be where she had a certain understanding I had an understanding and it there was nothing personal in it it was never like if we don't reach my understanding we're not going to be friends anymore and that's something that I've really been like struggling with recently cuz like I'm like Israel and Judaism it's such a massive part of my life and I'm like I don't know how to nav navate those friendships with people who like might super duper disagree with me cuz I'm like I don't know how to not bring it up like it's my whole world and I don't know how to not talk about it for me it really is about like who this person is and like if they are the kind of person who deserves to be your friend they're the kind of person who goes help me understand that or like you know I might think whatever but like I still want to come to sh about dinner at your house with your parents and like you know we can have a debate later or whatever you know it's it just it won't get the way of the personal the same way that like you should be able to get along with someone who voted for Trump if you don't vote for Trump you know we should be able to still be buddies yeah I want to know more about your family your family has an interesting geographical and cultural heritage so you are as Latin American as you are Jewish ABS so tell me about that yeah so my dad is from Panama and I actually just recently had the amazing I had opportunity to go to Panama with the Tel Aviv Institute with hen how how did they end up in Panama like did they do this for you it felt like it I was like thank you so much Ken thank you so much sh had you been before yeah I went once before only once yeah when I was younger so I didn't really remember it but I loved it so much and so it's kind of like this blending of like both of my worlds yeah his whole family is from Spain and Panama and then my mom's mom my soft is from Israel so my my mom's my saa's whole side they're all in Israel right now hi everybody shalom shalom and then my mom's dad my Papa he was from Cuba so that whole side is Cuban did they meet in Israel they met in New Jersey oh they met when they had both already moved to America yes I'm like 99% sure that makes sense yes and what's funny about them is that they actually met and then my grandpa engaged to my my grandma in 10 days and so that's how it goes right I think my grandpa proposed to my grandma I think on their first date or second date or something but I really have like such a blend of people in my family which I'm so grateful for and then my dad he converted to Judaism so my mom's Jewish and then my dad converted it's a really it's a cool blend that's really cool so unique uh is your papa Jewish yes he is so Cuban Jews he's a Cuban he's a juban how how big of a Community is that he was a part of this organization in Cuba called Hanah or hatsi which is like youed zionists of Cuba and I from what I read he wrote a book about his life I haven't read it yet I need to read it um read it put that at the top of the list I know I have so many books and I'm like I got get some audio books I I like naturally I go straight to like I want romance and fiction I get it I'm like I just I have to read about love but was so he was in hanor haoni in Cuba and there were like 150 members in his chapter and he like worked his way up and he ended up becoming the head of the organization and so Zionism was always a big part of my life because of my grandpa my papa and then my sofa born in Israel and so I think that's why a lot of like my ignorance to the entire conflict prior to October 7th was a thing because in my household is and Zionism was were just like it was like who can debate that Israel is literally like the best place on planet Earth which I still think it is but to me it was never like it I lived in a bubble of like my family who were just the biggest proudest most incredible zionists Jews Israelis in the world and so I'm really grateful for that how is your mom's experience as a Jew different from yours would you say the way that she grew up my SAA and papa they used to be very very very Orthodox like very like they were okay sorry very very modern Orthodox so well you said they were modern Orthodox but you're saying they were even more observant than what you knew them to be okay right I mean so going over before they passed it was you know separate what's it called cabinets with all the for like meat and milk stuff yes exactly like different dishwashers you had to wash certain things at certain times like all of the I actually I live right now in an orthodox neighborhood I'm not Orthodox but my house yes and so the house that we bought has two dishwashers and two fridges and you're probably like great more dishes can it's unbelievable and I have a whole fridge basically for beverages it's like the greatest so good anyways please move into a kosher house I know seriously the Orthodox house is all and the the best thing and then I'll let you get back to it is in the master there's a I have a bathroom and my wife has a bathroom and hers is like feminine and mine is masculine and they're like love it the greatest thing we're about to move and we're going to have to like start sharing a bathroom again after 5 years I was like I don't want to see you babe like do you do your thing I want to be my I know it's kind of Genius it's really I can't believe it's like never been done anywhere else like hello amazing Innovation we do that by the Orthodox I know yeah take note yeah okay so your grandparents so I knew them as always very Orthodox in my head and then but growing up my mom it was like I think way way way more than what it was and so she's had I think an interesting experience of like first of all watching her parents slowly become less Orthodox I don't want to say like watered down but like slowly becoming less Orthodox and then having kids and figuring out okay like how do I want to raise them and like her own path with Judaism and I think as a a whole my family where we really really align and connect is with tradition we are massive on you know still to this day like every holiday we get together like Russ all all of the things we always get like that has always stuck but I think where we have all kind of are still in this journey of like my mom she used to grow up in synagogue every Friday every Saturday and you know you keep Shabbat the whole nine yards and so now all of us I think are collectively being like okay how do where do we align spiritually in that world I have like an uncle who is more religious and then an aunt who is less religious but I think that's what I love about Judaism yeah is it's like none of these things whichever way wherever you land is none make you any more or less Jewish that's certainly What We Believe on this show yeah and that's what I love so much about Judaism and like my parents is that you're they always taught me to question do you have any favorite family holiday Traditions that jump out at you yes so for Passover there's a lot of kids in the family and so Passover what I've always really loved when my mom started taking over Passover taking over when she started hting she took it over started hosting Passover she does it in the form of a play oh my mom she writes an entire play for it and she does songs and is it the same play every year or she updates it each time oh it's different every year like totally different totally different wow that's a lot of work and effort oh yeah and like someone's the Pharaoh and some like we she gives everybody a role everybody has a part yeah but it makes it fun and that's way more fun I love it that's great my Safta when she started doing that she was very upset cuz my SAA always did it very by the book which I also think is beautiful and incredible but my mom you know she was like I'm going to do it my way and then I'm sure I'll one day do it my way and so it'll just keep so yes but I love it yeah we're always like peppering in little things and songs whatever but not like a fullon play I just that feels like such a a it's like a much faster way to get through the story but be like a way more engaging way to go through it than like I'm going to read a paragraph you're going to read a paragraph cuz then people zone out which is like that's that's not the point you want engagement and so we're like okay we want to learn we want to be here we want to everybody to feel involved how do we do it in a way and teach people in a way that feels fun and so that's sort of at the Crux of a lot of the internal Jewish World organizational conflict is like what's more important doing it by the book the way it's always been done or altering it to be more engaging and actually have it create the effect it's meant to create in as many people as possible my dad always says that like CU he converted to Judaism and so it's like he did a lot of the studying and whatever and he is always like Judaism has the worst PR everybody is that I mean we that we know yeah like we need to like okay we and that's why I think social media has become such a great tool in like talking about Judaism and showing our different traditions and how everybody celebrates who they are because I'm like okay we have to show it and a different way because what we've been doing I think it's worked but also some of the things haven't worked I'm thinking about it now as you're saying it and I I actually don't think that it's like we have a bad PR we've had like no PR no PR we're we're so small we're tiny it's like no how how are you going to get 99% of the world to know about the little 2% right you know that's a tall order but I do think like now a lot of us us modern Jews have woken up and been like okay wait a second we need we have to start talking I think now we've probably become judaism's PR us yeah definitely but you're right we we there is no they were so small no PR and so many Jews are are like or historically and currently are about like keeping their head down and blending in as opposed to saying like hey I'm proud of who I am and here's what we are and now you should understand what we are right exctly it's like a two twofold problem two MH since October 7th incredibly vocal and open on your social media as we've discussed I mean even changing your putting your middle name out there so people know you're super Jewish really cute photos of you lighting candles and doing kidish as a child again if you're watching seeing them right now if you're listening going to have to look in the show notes did you make a decision like I'm going to start posting more Jewish stuff or was it just like oh this I'm excited to do was a natural or was it like a was there a thought process there wasn't a thought process there was a lot of anger if I'm being honest there was a lot of like hey guys because especially coming from like this jenzy like you said we hate jenzy and I'm very mad of gen Z too I was the one arguing to not be prejudice against gen Z no I know but I'm like I'm the one like I'm I was angry yeah because I my life was looking at my phone and seeing people speak out against social injustice seeing people be so staunchly supportive of their communities other communities and so in October 7th happened and it was silence across the board I was just furious I was like wait a second when the bully was beating you up I pushed them away and then now all of a sudden we have a bully and I don't see anyone there for us and now I say that now that's how it felt at the time and now looking I'm like we have such a incredible support system but at the time it was like a subconscious like I hate you all if I'm being honest it was a subconscious like I hate you all I'm pissed I am going to start posting I was posting I think like 20 things on my Instagram story a day of like I'm sure I've posted you millions of times of like just things that I aligned with and education on Israel and Judaism and then as weeks went on I was like okay wait a second like there really is not we have a community but it's not as big as I would have hoped it was and especially in the Tik Tok space you go on Tik Tok oh my God Tik Tok is like a breeding site for anti-em ISM sorry I love Tik Tok I really do but like the things that are allowed to be said on this platform and the things that Tik Tok pushes out I was like no wonder nobody agrees with me because I'm one and my things are getting suppressed and everybody else's you know anti-israel stuff for some reason that's all being seen and so I'm like I have to speak out what do you think is different about you where you feel this anger and this frustration you go well I'm going to get loud about it there so many other people are like afraid I've so I've battled with this a lot because there is part of me that at first I was really really angry I was like you for being afraid like I I'm so mad like do you not see what's going on in Israel how can you even say that right now you need to speak it I don't care and now there is I really really do understand social media and this loudness and proudness not being everyone's form of advocacy and something I always like to talk to people about is like your advocacy does not look have to look like mine I know I go on and I'm loud and obnoxious and I um say what's exactly what's on my mind and I post constantly but your advocacy if you are more introverted person if you do have a community of people who aren't supportive if you do feel scared for your life right now your advocacy can look very different like it can be as simple as putting on a mendavid on your on a ring I I don't anything right or going to school and if you hear anti-Semitism speak up when you hear it or speaking at a local event or even hosting a Shabbat dinner with your non-jewish friends and saying like hey come over what's really important is that we do all kind of you know really look at our space and say okay wait a second I figured out early early on I was like okay I have a following that's where I can Shine That's I have this following I don't know what I why I have it what I did to deserve it but it's here and this is where I can use it what's your space and how can you advocate in your own space I want to push even harder into that so you have done what like every Jew wishes people with your platform would do which is feel that responsibility I have all these followers it's my responsibility to use this platform to Advocate yeah what do you think this is what I really want to get is like what is different about Ariel Martin that she goes there and others with the same platforms don't feel that responsibility don't feel like they need to do what you clearly feel they need to do first of all it's been in stilled in my brain since I was born like my sofa like before she passed like before while she was not able to walk and she wasn't able she couldn't she could barely speak anymore she's still up until like the week before was like when are when are you taking me to Israel to my mom when are you taking me to Israel I want to go to Israel and she couldn't walk she couldn't and my mom like my poor mom like we can't but it was that was the community I grew up in and I also think a lot of people now a lot of my Jewish friends have this ability to separate themselves from it and you know I think a lot of my anger now at people is like they it's not happening to them therefore why should they get involved I'm sure where we are different is like we see ourselves in all of it like to me it's like I'm Jewish and I think of the my grandparents who fought for me and my ancestors and I don't separate myself from it and so I think people now it's like this line that they're able to say wait a second this thing isn't happening to me around me near me I'm not angry which makes me angry but if I could distill what you just said I mean what I'm hearing you say is like the foundation that you have like in your core identity is so strong and was already so fleshed out and so intrinsic to who you are where perhaps for other people maybe just didn't hold that value and then the moment hit and it wasn't there right exactly you said that you have connected especially with a lot of young girls online who are looking up to you do you have any specific stories that pop out as something that really moved you I spoke at an event and I remember there was this group of kids who came up to me afterwards after my panel how how old are we ballpark I want to say like ninth grade okay so like 14 15 13 and they came up to me and they told me about the anti-Semitism at their school and how nobody was speaking out that kids were drawing swastikas on Locker doors and you know hate the Jews everywhere and they started their own group at school for Jewish kids for allies for Israelis Israeli kids to Advocate not necessarily just against anti-Semitism but against all forms of hate and they're all Jewish so I'm I'm sure the foundation is against anti-Semitism but and that how you know my speaking out really inspired them to do it and that's awesome I'm like that's why I have to do it like yeah I I think I kind of sometimes feel discouraged because I am like okay am I actually changing people's minds like I don't know and so I've accepted like okay maybe I'm not changing people's minds cuz I hate to say it but a lot of people who are already so far the other way it's hard to I think reel them back in with one 15c video MH a lot of the reason I do what I do is to make those kids feel seen and heard and feel like okay if she's doing it and she's and they see the hate comments and if but if she's doing it then we can do it and I'm like that's all I can ask for to make sure that these kids like they don't feel alone that's amazing the the hate comments you get do those bug you still or are they like whatever or how how do they hit you now it doesn't bother me as much anymore but there are times where I do I just I I let it get to me and I I get so it makes me sad but I really let it get to me like cuz when people start talking about like my family and my brother and my friends and my boyfriend and they go into detail about disturbing things I'm like I'm human too and I just I see it and I'm sitting at home alone and I'm like I'm scared I hate these people but with that I've also learned how to turn it off quickly and like not let myself go down this Rabbit Hole like after October 7th when the hate first started flooding in again because I was so ignorant to all of it I didn't know that there was going to a lot of hate I was kind of like oh again this is what I always knew I such a Zionist family everybody's Israeli everybody loves Jewish people like how mad can people get and I was wrong so yeah when it first happened I was caught off guard but then it kind of I learned how to put it away and be like okay we have to press forward because this is the reason that we do what we do yeah all right we're going to jump into a little lightning round to wrap up here favorite Jewish holiday oh I want to say Shabbat great one we love Shabbat on this show yeah Jewish custom that sounds interesting but you haven't gotten into or know anything about yet I never saw my family WRA to fill in and I'm a girl so I don't do it but but it's something that I it's still like wow what is that thing and so I don't know much about it well next time you're on the street in like Washington Square Park in New York or something some kabad gu is going to you know be there and you ask him if you could do it yeah favorite Jewish heart throt Timothy shalam oh he's Jewish yes Timothy shalam favorite Jewish Diva Jewish Diva this is a great one is Trisha pis Jewish now officially I don't know who that is what Trisha pis Trisha what do you guys know Trisha I think okay so she's married to an Israeli man and she is I love her she's I think converted to Judaism and then maybe converted out of Judaism and then probably now converted into she's a Jewish diva in my book what does she do like why do you know her you have to I'm her up I can't even say anything I won't spoil any of the TR P name one animal you're leaving off Noah's Arc oh gosh lizards lizards see you yeah what's your most commonly used Hebrew Andor Yiddish word is KET a Yiddish word okay so that you say that one L my softo always go you're being a Kat there you go last you inspire young people so much on your platform as we've discussed I want you to help Inspire some of the older Generations on this platform what is your call to action for the non- geners who are listening or watching this right now o I think similar to what I talked about before you know my platform is social media but find if you're not advocating right now if you're which is okay okay start today and it can be the tiniest thing of just buying Hala at the store yeah just find a way to Advocate or to get in touch with your Judaism it can be small it can be small yeah Ariel thank you so much this was a blast thank you this was awesome thanks to Ariel for everything she does and for sharing her story so openly with us today bit of news I'm launching a newsletter online so head over to jonap platt.com scroll to the bottom and input your email address so you don't miss our first installment also this is our 20th episode which feels like a milestone worth mentioning we are at over 100,000 downloads from countries all over the world around 20,000 households per episode on JBS and thousands more of you watching on YouTube I couldn't be more grateful for your engagement and support and I love how much you all love the show ears to the next 20 together and Beyond I'll see you all back here for the next J tastic episode of being Jewish with me Jonah Platt