Malcolm Green on effective pro-Israel activism

To the Editor:

I write to congratulate Ariella Saperstein on her thoughtful and necessary analysis in “Why Has Palestinian Activism Been So Successful?” It is a piece that does what so much of our own advocacy fails to: It thinks strategically, not just reactively.

Here in the U.K., we’ve seen exactly the dynamics Saperstein describes. The success of pro-Palestinian activism lies not merely in the content of its arguments, but in its emotional calibration and cultural agility. It feels both cool and warm — morally righteous and socially relevant. By contrast, Jewish and pro-Israel communication often feels either coldly defensive or emotionally out of sync with the moment.

That point is powerfully echoed in Toba Hellerstein’s companion article, “Actually, Feelings Don’t Care About Your Facts.” She and I have had many constructive and inspiring conversations — we’ve helped each other sharpen our advocacy (albeit across a vast ocean), and I see deeply complementary themes in her work and Saperstein’s. Both argue, in different ways, that emotional resonance trumps empirical overload when speaking to audiences without shared context.

Coming from the world of advertising, branding and communications, I know this truth well. Successful campaigns aren’t built on the righteousness of your cause. They’re built on how well you understand your audience — and how you make them feel. About us. About themselves. About our opponents. We obsess over coolness (does this feel modern, relevant?) and warmth (does it feel human, trustworthy?). When done well, the result is not just noise or reach — but measurable behavioral change.

That requires clarity of purpose. What does success look like? Who are we trying to reach — and crucially, how do we want them to think, feel and act differently as a result? Too often, we confuse social media performance among echo-chamber influencers with real-world impact. But persuasion begins where agreement ends.

It remains a mystery — and a source of deep frustration — why the global Jewish community, which has helped shape some of the most impactful brands, campaigns and social movements in the world, so often fails to apply the same clarity and craft to our own cause. What do they say about the shoemaker and his children?

We need to stop creating for each other, and start reaching those who don’t yet understand us — or worse, think they already do. That means being audience-centric, not ego-centric. And it means designing communications not for applause, but for effect.

Saperstein and Hellerstein have laid out the challenge — and the opportunity. We need to take it!