feature
Meet the Jewish Teens Whose
Social Media
Experience Is Better Than You Think
Micole Friedman | JTA.org
t the SAR High School, an Orthodox
Jewish day school in Riverdale,
New York, teens participate in anti-ha-
rassment training every fall.

Students listen carefully as faculty
list the dangers of TikTok, the potential
social isolation resulting from exces-
sive social media use and the negative
implicit messaging — both Jewish and
otherwise — that often pervades these
platforms. Yet for many Jewish teens and
young adults, social media provides
the opposite eff ect by furnishing them
with a voice, community and alternate
avenues for exploring identity.

Olivia Fertig, a student at the
Orthodox Ramaz High School in
Manhattan, acknowledges that social
media might tempt her to one-up
someone with a better post or photo,
but she also feels connected to the
people whose posts she comments
on or likes. “Social media allows me
to interact with other Jews and come
across Jewish content which teaches
me more about how other Jews live,”
she said.

Despite the risks involved, 35% of
teens use YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram,
18 APRIL 6, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Petro Bylo / iStock / Getty Images Plus
A



Courtesy of Rachel SJ
Snapchat and Facebook “almost constantly.” Movies
and podcasts from Jewish community leaders warn
of the dangers of social media “overuse” and its
ravaging eff ects on teen mental health and cogni-
tion. “Teen mental health is plummeting, and social
media is a major contributing cause,” the social
psychologist Jonathan Haidt told Congress in 2022,
citing adolescent mood disorders, self-harm and
suicide rates.

But for some observant Jewish teens, social media
provides the connection for them to be their authen-
tic selves and learn from others.

Ilana Gadish, a member of the Judaic faculty at SAR
High School, highlights the benefi ts of social media.

“When teens, especially Jewish teens, are struggling
with personal issues — whether it’s Jewish identity,
sexuality, gender identity, relationships or compli-
cated relationships that might be possibly dangerous
— social media has so many accounts out there that
help teens and adults navigate spaces where people
can feel connected to others that aren’t in their life
going through the same thing as them,” she said,
while acknowledging that social media shouldn’t be
the only way young people connect.

For teen content creators like Tali, who asked that
only her fi rst name be used to protect her safety
and her family from antisemitism, TikTok helps her
explore Jewish identity without the constraints of her
real-world Orthodox community. As a self-described
“practicing, religious” teen, she creates mainly Jewish
content with an overarching aim of exploring sensitive
Jewish issues that might otherwise remain unspoken.

Specifi cally, she focuses on the place of women in
Orthodox Judaism and seeks to raise awareness of
sexual assault in Orthodox Jewish communities.

In one video, she highlighted the case of a student
who had been the victim of sexual abuse, whose
identity was kept anonymous. The video provided
explicit support for the victim and showed “her that
she wasn’t alone.” The video, which has 30,000
views on TikTok, led to a partnership between Tali
and Za’akah, an organization that fi ghts child sex
abuse in the Orthodox community.

“Learning about Judaism online gives you every-
one’s perspective on it, not just your school’s or your
community’s,” Tali said. TikTok introduced her to
“topics that are considered taboo and generally not
taught in school, like the laws of sex in Judaism, etc.”
This openness may be perceived as dangerous by
various community leaders but also as liberating by
young social media users. “Social media gives me
the freedom to express it [Judaism] however I want
without restrictions from community or school etc.,”
Tali said. “In certain circles, you will be ostracized for
voicing certain opinions.” On TikTok, she can fi nd a
peer group that is accepting of her views.

TikTok also allows her to learn about a diverse
range of Jews, including Rabbi Seth Goldstein, a
Reform rabbi whose popular TikTok videos explain
Judaism through pop culture. His beliefs diff er
from her Modern Orthodox upbringing and allow
her to gain a better understanding of his liberal
Rachel SJ has found a unique outlet on social media to express themself and fi nd community.

denomination. Some haredi Orthodox communities, including
some Chasidic movements, have called for their
members to disconnect from social media entirely.

In the summer of 2022, two rallies organized by
Orthodox rabbis specifi cally urged Jewish women
and teens to rid themselves of these platforms,
saying they encourage impure thoughts and gossip.

And some teens, even among the less insular
Modern Orthodox, share this pessimistic view of
social media. Jacob Prager, a sophomore at SAR
High School, does not have a smartphone and does
not use social media. “For the people who say that
social media brings them happiness that can actually
be dangerous because that’s the only way that you
seek to fi nd confi rmation and love,” he said. He used
to have an Instagram account for school but gave it
up when he started getting addicted and didn’t have
time to do things he enjoys, like crossword puzzles.

“Now that I don’t use it as much I think my mental
health is so much better and I’m able to do stuff that
I really love,” he said.

Yet other teens say the good of social media
outweighs the negative eff ects.

A recent study found that a majority of teens, like
Tali, credit social media for “deepening connec-
tions” rather than fracturing them. Rachel SJ, an
LGBTQ actor and content creator who asked to be
referred to by their professional name, uses social
media to make purposeful bonds with other Jewish
creators on these platforms. “There’s something
really wonderful about having a wider trans Jewish
community, we’re able to share resources, get each
other’s more niche jokes, and learn from each other,”
they said.

Rather than suppressing Jewish and other identi-
ties, social media provides a unique set of tools for
self-expression and authenticity for Rachel and other
members of Jewish TikTok.

As a nonbinary practicing Jew, Rachel also uses their
account to make connections and interact with a much
wider audience than would be possible on a local level.

“I have made so many incredible connections through
Jewish TikTok, it almost feels undervaluing to call them
just ‘connections,’” Rachel said. “Many of them have
become friends, confi dants, and support.”
Rachel met @amaditalks, another Jewish creator
who uses ze as a pronoun, through TikTok. “I really
appreciate the compassion and humor ze brings to
our conversations beyond content, but also about
what’s going on in the world and our lives,” they said.

Rachel says these connections would not have
been possible in any single community or real-world
location. “Sure shared experiences/culture/belief/
values etc. brought us together but we don’t live in
the same place, we very likely wouldn’t have ever
met,” they said. “These community members are
able to look to each other to talk through it, get input,
respond, and stand up together.” ■
This article was produced as part of JTA’s Teen
Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with
Jewish teens around the world to report on issues
that aff ect their lives.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 19