Meet Jonny.
A man who has become a steadying presence in the time following October 7th. A man whose words are always chosen carefully, that always convey a sense of calm and reason in otherwise dizzying times. A man who draws on the lessons of the past to make sense of the present day and still maintains optimism and hope for the future.
Jonny was born and raised in London, England. He moved to Israel at the age of 18 and embarked on his IDF journey, as a staff sergeant in the Paratroopers. Upon completing his service, he began his career in politics and worked in the Knesset as Chief of Staff. It was this experience that prepared him for the role that he would eventually assume for Jewish communities around the world.
Ten years ago Jonny launched his own foundation, From The Depths, which focuses on Holocaust memory, memorial, and education, as well as humanitarian aid and support for survivors around the world. It is a foundation that allows him to actively draw from lessons of the past, something that proved useful in curating both perspective and position during this period of modern Jewish history. By forging relationships with both holocaust survivors and the righteous among the nations, Jonny learned the lessons from the past to make sure that future generations can be educated to ensure that what happened never happens again. From The Depths also supports those most in need, including Jews who escaped the war in Ukraine, and Jews around the world in 2023/2024.
“We are unashamedly proud of the fact that we first and foremost help Jews. The reason we do this, and are proud of this, is because I think we have learned our lesson, which is ‘if we don’t help ourselves, no one else is going to help us.’ We have learned that to be very true.”
During this war we have seen the large international aid organizations – from the International Red Cross, to UN organizations, to international NGOs – abandon their responsibility when it came to helping Israeli hostages, children, and refugees. History often echoes, and the shirking of duties of the international aid community mirrored their apathy and inaction during the Second World War despite knowing about the presence and atrocities being committed inside the camps for years.
Jonny's work took on new urgency following the events of October 7, 2023. In the wake of the attacks on Israel, he found himself at the forefront of Israel advocacy, providing crucial insights to Jewish communities worldwide. His unique background - combining military experience, government service, and dedication to Holocaust remembrance - positioned him as a voice of reason during turbulent times.
“Right now, as difficult as things are today, and as harsh as it is, and as scary as it feels for a lot of people, we can’t forget that we are living in truly miraculous times. We are living as free people, here, in our homeland. We have ourselves to take care of ourselves, and that’s a beautiful and special thing. This is where I draw my strength from, especially since October 7.” This unique perspective gives Jonny’s followers around the world perspective and hope.
While Jonny was committed to Israel advocacy and speaking to Jewish communities around the world before October 7th, he is now doing that on a much larger scale, both by traveling to address international communities and through the reach of social media.
That day, October 7th, 2023, he experienced a chilling premonition. "I'd woken up at about 5:00 A.M. I'd shot out of bed with a nightmare. And I don't get nightmares, I don't wake up from them. I had this awful dream that terrorists had entered my house, and I didn't know how to fight." Just hours later, the devastating attacks on Israel began.“It was a weird dream that shook me, but I managed to fall back to sleep. I woke up to my phone going crazy about an hour later.”
Jonny called a friend of his in the IDF. “We’ve been attacked” he said. Jonny was in disbelief. “Tell me what’s actually going on!” His friend relayed what was unfolding. Jonny was on vacation with his daughters, but he knew he had to return to Israel almost immediately. First, he took his children to London to shield them from the stress and trauma of the relentless rockets, sirens, and Iron Dome detonations.
Jonny started his work straight away. He worked closely with many of the families of the hostages – something that continues to this day – especially those with foreign citizenships. “I’ve been able to utilize many of the connections I have in foreign parliaments and governments. They have been able to provide support and assistance and pressure.”
When asked about what the biggest surprise was has been in the wake of October 7th, he responded that nothing had been so surprising that it shocked him – especially with his extensive immersion in the world of Holocaust education.
“For me, as someone who works in Holocaust education, nothing comes as a surprise. We are just seeing what our ancestors saw. You sit with friends at Shabbat dinner and once the children leave the room conversation becomes the oldest Jewish conversation in the book, which is ‘at what point do we have to leave?’ It’s surreal to have these conversations, but not overly surprising.”
Watching the antisemitism and violence grip communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, USA, France, Brazil, etc., was surprising, but at the same time not surprising. “We are seeing this all around the world. I think the strength we gain from coming together is the most important thing.” Jonny told the story of his father growing up in London in the 1950s, and the antisemitic abuses he endured. “The fact that we are Jews is something that always puts us in a level of risk. What we are seeing is no shock to me, but watching people face it for the first time is challenging to witness.”
To Jonny, advocating for Israel post-October 7th isn’t as large of a shift as one would expect. “It’s just a continuation of the story of the Holocaust. As difficult and horrendous as October 7th was, Holocaust survivors endured the same and worse, 5000 times over, for years on end.”
“We are in a very different place today. Unfortunately things like this happen against the Jewish people. But thank God, they are also stopped. October 7th would have been the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th if not for the Jewish army and the State of Israel.”
This is where we have to look history to learn lessons from the past. We can learn lessons in resiliency from Holocaust survivors on how to move forward after witnessing atrocities.
What Jonny has found to be most shocking is the level of distress experienced by so many people globally, especially women. “Women seem to have taken this more difficult than men; I think that’s connected to the issue of hostages and the cases of sexual violence. Women around the world are experiencing sleepless nights and nightmares because of what happened.”
As a Holocaust educator, Jonny has also found himself at the forefront of combating a disturbing trend: Holocaust inversion and denial in the context of the current conflict. When asked about his reaction to these phenomena, Jonny's response is unequivocal: "F*** them has been the response. Since the camps, there have been people who deny that the camps existed, right? The fact that people are denying this comes as a zero surprise to me. It's unfortunately part and parcel." It is therefore imperative that we continue to tell the stories of survivors, to combat denial and lies with truth and lived experience.
Jonny’s work, his commitment to truth, and his nuanced understanding of history and present day factors position him to be a continued voice of reason and compassion in the difficult months that followed October 7th. Both he and his work serve as a bridge between the past, the present, and the future of the Jewish nation, ensuring that we draw upon the lessons of the past to combat the trials of today.
Jonny's personal connection to Israel and his belief in its importance for the Jewish people is evident in his words: "If you want to live a Jewish life and you want to have a connection to a Jewish future, then I don't think there is anywhere but Israel." He is passionate about the unique experience of living in a Jewish state, the sense of belonging that permeates daily life that comes from living among your brothers and sisters in your homeland.
Despite the challenges, Jonny's faith in the resilience of the Jewish people remains unshaken. "There's a reason that we're the oldest civilization in the world by far.”
That reason is the unity that holds the Jewish family together in times of distress, no matter where they find themselves on the map. “When I say we’re a nation of survivors, I’m not talking of Holocaust survivors. Jews survived and thrived wherever they were. And we were kicked out of those places, whether it was from Morocco or Yemen or Afghanistan or Poland or Russia or Ukraine. We survived and came through it because of the unity and strength that we have.
“When I speak around the world, I’ve seen people activated and uniting in a way that we’ve never seen before; there are people who never associated with a Jewish event or with the community before now standing up.” What has been disheartening however, has been seeing the ‘idiot Jews’, the ones who trade their Jewishness for acceptance from those who wish destruction on Israel and her inhabitants, and thereby endanger the rest of the community. “Every nation has its idiots, but we can’t allow ourselves to get sucked up in that negativity and stupidity. An ‘antizionist’ Jew would not been killed exactly the same on October 7th. If anything, I have a bit of pity for them, but I just ignore them and carry on.”
When we look to the future we see a new threat of antisemitism that is engulfing the world. This time, it’s being fueled from Islamists who have ever increasing populations globally. The antisemitism is being co-opted by the far left, a movement that talks of freedom, of understanding every person, of inclusion – somehow standing in support of terrorism and being openly anti-Jewish. “This isn’t something that is foreign to us, we just have to look at our history to understand that we’ve been through this. We are the oldest civilization in the world, by far. The nations who stood against us disappear, they are left as footnotes in history books, and people today don’t know their names. Over and over we have seen that people who have sided with our enemies have disappeared.”
“I don’t think that there is any question that Israel wins, and it wins very well.”
Israel as a country has changed. The relationship between diaspora Jewry and Israel has changed as well. October 7th has caused the Jews of the world to unite, to recognize that Jews are Jews, and if only there was an opportunity for peace, we’d make it. Jonny references the Egyptian peace deal. “Egypt was our arch enemy, but an opportunity for peace arose because of an incredible leader from amongst the Egyptian people.” Israeli and Egyptian leadership shook hands and peace has held strong for 35 years. “There could be peace one day. I really hope and pray so.”
A question that is always asked is, “is there a future for Diaspora Jews?” to which Jonny responded that he has not seen a community that is too far gone to not be able to course correct. “Right now, antisemitism is like the genie that has been let out of the bottle. It has been normalized, and has become cool to a degree. However, things do calm down, and when the war is over and the rallies end, things will quiet down. Maybe the same people rallying will carry out attacks in cities around the world, and people will begin to understand terrorism. Definitely, Jews need to be more careful in the diaspora, but Israel is also dangerous.”
But there is also no other place he would rather be and raise his family. “If you want to live a Jewish life and you want to have a connection to a Jewish future, then I don't think there is anywhere but Israel. I wouldn't be happy sending my kids to public schools in most countries around the world today. I think that's scary.”
Jews around the world today are safer because Israel exists. Jews around the world have the confidence to be tougher than ever before because of the state of Israel. Israeli security forces have stopped dozens of terror attacks against Jews around the world from happening. “These terror attacks were minutes away from happening. From Holland to Italy to other places, terror attacks have been stopped because of strong Israeli security and intelligence.” Jews are also safer today because, for the first time in 2000 years, we have somewhere to go. “If things get bad, never mind. Just pack up and go. We have that in our DNA. We’re used to it.”
"Stand tall, be proud, and be strong. There is such a thing as good versus evil, and we're on the good side of this. We’re a nation of survivors. We’re a resilient people, and we are going to come through this as well. When we look at the history that we’ve gone through as a Jewish people, we’ve gone through more difficult things than this, and we are going to get through this as well. Time heals everything and nothing lasts forever.”
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