He’s That Jew: Eitan Chitayat on Jewish pride, unity and reclaiming the narrative

“The cavalry is not coming to save us. We are the cavalry.” That’s what Israeli activist Eitan Chitayat told a packed crowd at Caulfield Shule on Tuesday night.

Amidst a global rise in antisemitism, he told the Melbourne audience that Jewish people, and our allies, need to become a united force, reclaim our narrative, and be proud of who we are.

Founder of the viral “I’m That Jew” movement, Chitayat has been touring Australia for a series of community events supported by the United Israel Appeal and Australian Jewish Funders.

“I woke up to so many messages from people who were in the audience, and they were saying that they were inspired,” Chitayat told The Jewish Independent. “And I'd like to think that it's not inspired by me. I'd like to think it's inspired by the fact that you have a community and you can do things, you can galvanise, you can mobilise, you can move to action.”

A creative director, brand strategist, and global advocate, Chitayat’s “I’m That Jew” empowerment campaign began in 2015 with a viral video, which has been seen over 15 million times across various platforms. He created the video shortly after the Charlie Hebdo shooting, when a friend in Paris said she was too afraid to tell anyone she was Jewish.

In 2018, Chitayat gave a TEDx talk explaining its inspiration, as well as the importance of celebrating Jewish identity without fear.

Following October 7, the “I’m That Jew” movement took on a new life on social media, as did Chitayat’s online presence through videos, infographics, and a podcast. Today, he has 79,000 Instagram followers.

While he doesn’t consider himself to be an “activist” or “influencer”, Chitayat recognises the importance of using social media to combat antisemitism and misinformation about Israel.

“Social media is a big, big challenge, because it's painting a different picture, and that picture is not necessarily reality,” he explained. “There's no reason on earth why a Jewish community somewhere outside of Israel has to suffer the consequences of a war in Israel, that no one in Israel wants anyway."

"No Jewish person should feel that they have to justify politics. What they need to say is I'm Jewish, these are my values, and Israel is my country. And if they want peace, say, I wish that we could have peace and we have to get there somehow.”

Beyond standing together as a community, Chitayat says Jewish people also need to make greater efforts to reach out to allies. In a particularly moving moment at his Melbourne event, he asked if there were any non-Jewish people in the audience. About 10 stood up, receiving a rapturous applause. After being handed a microphone, one woman said that while she is a proud ally to the Jewish community, she doesn’t always know how to show it.

“I've met non-Jewish people who say exactly what that woman who stood up said. What do we do to help? There are so many people like that, and it's about shared values. They know who we are. They know that something's not right with the narrative that the people who are demonizing Israel, and us, are putting out there. And I think we should reach out more,” Chitayat continued.

Following Sunday’s anti-Israel protest across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Chitayat decided to reach out to his online audience with a video, asking them to comment messages of support for the Australian Jewish community. That video now has over 10,000 comments on Instagram and over 4,000 on Facebook, the overwhelming majority of them positive.

“When I checked, because it's only been up around 36 hours, I didn't see any bots. I didn't see any hate. I saw support from within the Jewish community around the world, and also non-Jewish allies. And not only do we have more allies than we think, I think we also have more strength than we give ourselves credit for.”

Although that knowledge is comforting, Chitayat says the community can still be doing much more offline, both at an interpersonal level and from a leadership standpoint. “Jewish organisations in Australia need to come together and unite, to show the people that they're united online and offline, which is a very big deal. You have to take the battle offline and show up in the real world.”

At a small scale, this could mean wearing a hostage pin or Magen David necklace to work. If someone was feeling bolder, they might try wearing an “I’m That Jew” t-shirt out in public. At the Melbourne event, a young man in the audience shared that he had recently done so, wearing it first to an AFL match at the MCG, then on the train ride home.

Another example of Jewish pride came during a special reunion between Chitayat and his former IDF commander, Sharon Tal, who he hadn’t seen in 36 years. Today a healer and kinesiologist, Tal was removed from a Melbourne health and wellness festival earlier this year under pressure from anti-Israel activists, before being reinstated.

Chitayat says Jewish professionals, whether they’re a lawyer, journalist or artist, should be harnessing their expertise and dedicating some of their time to their community. “I don't see enough real unity. And that's what we need, and that's what people should demand. Reach out to your Jewish brothers and sisters. Do something with your skills.

“Cancelation is real and it's scary, but we must do that. The more of us that do it, the stronger we’ll be.”

Chitayat says it’s time to take to the streets, being proudly, publicly Jewish. “If I can give the Australian Jewish community a kick in the butt to be stronger in that way, and be a little bit more Israeli in that specific way, have a little bit more audacity to be who you are openly. Then, our allies will see it, and you'll see more of that."

While he recognises that his advice may be a little bit of “tough love”, Chitayat also says there is an unbreakable bond between Israelis and Australian Jews.

“The Australian Jewish community has been so warm, so giving, and so generous with everything," he concluded.

“I'm glad that I'm here at this time, just to help, just to support. You guys showed up for Israel. So, in a small way, I'm happy to be able to show up for your community here in Australia.”