Face It Israel: Showing the true face of Israel beyond the media portrayals

By sharing the true faces of Israel, Face It Israel founders Jamie Boolkin and Natalie Selvin aim to counter antisemitism and anti-Zionism and empower Israelis.

By BATSHEVA SHULMAN DECEMBER 7, 2024 05:13

Face It Israel founders Natalie Selvin (L) and Jaime Boolkin. (photo credit: NEFESH B'NEFESH)

Face It Israel is a social media initiative that was founded by two social media managers from opposite ends of the world: Jaime Boolkin, an oleh (new immigrant) from South Africa, and Natalie Selvin, an olah from the US, both aged 25.

The pair’s mission is to share the vibrant and relatable stories of Israelis and olim – from all walks of life who are living in Israel – that define and humanize us. In their words: “We want to show everyone the true faces of Israel – that every face has a story to tell, and every story is worth listening to.”

Boolkin and Selvin have connected with hundreds of Israeli citizens, capturing each inspiring story. They describe their approach as “simple yet impactful.”

Every person they meet is asked these three questions: What’s your name? What do you do? And why do you do it?

Several well-known faces have been featured, such as Aleeza Ben Shalom, the Jewish matchmaker on Netflix; Kerry Bar-Cohn, the challah dancing lady; and Alan Mekibel, known for his website Yallagan, which connects dozens of Jews around the world. The list goes on.

ALEEZA BEN SHALOM talks about matchmaking at a conference. (credit: Courtesy: Aleeza Ben Shalom)

Sharing the true faces of Israelis to the world

The two influencers originally met on Aardvark (an Israel Masa program) seven years ago and reconnected at a TalkIsrael event for influencers this year. Since then, they have attended other prestigious events across Israel, such as the Nas Summit and Creator Event, engaging with the diverse voices that make Israel unique.

Boolkin recounts their interaction at the TalkIsrael event: “It was during the heavy times of the war and there was so much hate going around about Jews and Israelis, and we’re currently in the storm of it. We turned to each other, sitting at this event, and said, ‘We can’t watch this happen anymore because we are more than that.’”

By sharing the true faces of Israel, Boolkin and Selvin aim to counter antisemitism and anti-Zionism and empower Israelis. “It’s as if the world has become this gigantic Wikipedia page – everyone just believes one thing.”

For this reason, Boolkin emphasizes how each story is so powerful, as it has the potential to break the bias and change the narrative. Each person has something remarkable to share: “Whether it’s innovating in marketing, advancing cybersecurity globally, or pioneering in medicine, we aim to show the world that Israelis are so much more than the media portrays.

“We are Israelis. We are changing the world. We’re changing cybersecurity. We’re changing cosmetics. We’re improving data science, medicine, weaponry, and technology, and the list goes on. And that’s what we want to show – that everyone who has this false idea of Israelis being these terrible people, we’re actually not.”

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In his efforts to counter antisemitism, Boolkin praises Roi Dolev, recently featured in The Jerusalem Post, regarding his petition calling upon the Wikimedia Foundation and the editorial community to “address significant bias and unfair representation in the current Wikipedia article on Zionism.”

While the war continues, Face It Israel provides a cordial and much-needed respite through storytelling. Most importantly, it plays a significant role in empowering Israelis and changing the narrative.

In Boolkin’s words: “Join us in discovering the heart of Israel, and tell us who are you, and what drives you?” 