HOLLYWOOD, FL, Wednesday, November 5, 2025 — At Jewish National Fund-USA’s Global Conference for Israel, Ambassador Ido Aharoni Aronoff addressed a room full of eager listeners in “Reclaiming the Zionist Narrative,” a conference session where he explored Israel’s story and how to portray it truthfully.
Aronoff opened the session by emphasizing the importance of national ethos and how narratives are important on a global scale. He referenced a study in which American and Canadian participants were asked to describe countries as houses. When they were asked to describe Israel, the participants could only think of colorless walls and jagged angles. According to Aronoff, “They were describing a bomb shelter.”
While he acknowledged that anti-Western propaganda and social media algorithms have played a defining role in the global perception of Israel, Aronoff also pointed out that accusations of genocide and comparisons of Zionism to racism have been around since Israel’s Six Day War in 1967. Today, there is the responsibility, he argued, of Zionists to take control of their own story, which has not been taken seriously. He compared it to how, after the release of the comedy film “Borat”, the nation of Kazakhstan was irreversibly associated with the film and did nothing to combat its perception.
“It’s not always about what we say, it must be about what they hear. And how do we know what they hear if we don’t study it?” He said of Israel’s narrative: “We are a victim and a victor at the same time, and it is a contradiction people cannot reconcile.”
His proposed solution? Focus on the majority of the population who have no strong feelings about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Our job is not to spend time on the agitators. It is to identify our room to grow.” It is the people in the middle, Aronoff said, who are the most open to learning, listening, and understanding.
He also emphasized that the classical values of Zionism, especially creativity, are vital to include in Israel’s national narrative, citing its first educational initiative—a school for the arts. As a “constructive, forward-looking movement focused on growth and prosperity,” it aligns with values that combat the censorship and suppression of authoritarian regimes, including those that spread anti-Israel propaganda, such as Russia and Qatar.
Having a place for the Jewish narrative to thrive, Aharoni explained, will allow supporters of Israel to reclaim the Zionist narrative and to tell their story in their own words. He ended the session by expressing his passionate support for Jewish National Fund-USA’s World Zionist Village in Be’er Sheva, a global hub for Zionist education, meaningful dialogue, and Jewish pride. This initiative will inspire and invite people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with, and reimagine the future of Zionism.
Set to be built by 2028, Jewish National Fund-USA’s World Zionist Village will empower the next generation to be proud, passionate, and purposeful torchbearers of the Zionist dream. To learn more about the World Zionist Village, visit worldzionistvillage.org.
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About Jewish National Fund-USA
Jewish National Fund-USA builds a strong, vibrant future for the land and people of Israel through bold initiatives and Zionist education. As a leading philanthropic movement, the organization supports critical environmental and nation-building activities in Israel’s north and south as it develops new communities in the Negev and Galilee, connects the next generation to Israel, and creates infrastructure and programs that support ecology, people with disabilities, and heritage site preservation, all while running a fully accredited study abroad experience through its Alexander Muss High School in Israel. Learn more at jnf.org.
