The third episode of ILTV’s new digital series, “One-on-One,” continued its mission to highlight the voices reshaping the conversation around Israel, and few embody that mission quite like Jonah Platt.
In an industry where entertainers are often encouraged to stay in their lane, Platt has become one of the loudest voices advocating for Israel and the Jewish community. As an artist and proud Zionist, he believes the biggest issue preventing other Jews in Hollywood from doing the same is fear.
“I think the fear within the Jewish community in Hollywood, that fear of people pointing fingers and saying, ‘Jews control the media,’ or ‘they’re too insular,’ whatever, all these tropes that, by the way, they say anyways, whether we do it or not — I think the fear of those tropes keeps a lot of people quiet,” Platt said.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel, Platt – an actor who has appeared on Broadway and television – launched his most personal project yet: his podcast, “Being Jewish with Jonah Platt.” Now, about 75 episodes in, the show has become a respite from the outrage and polarization that often dominates on social media.
The multi-talented actor, writer, musician and producer has become one of the most important young Jewish advocates in America, using his platform to speak openly about what it means to be proudly Jewish in today’s world.
Growing up in a family with deep creative roots, Platt was surrounded by the performing arts from day one, raised in an environment where creativity was simply “in the water.”
“There are videos of me and my siblings and my cousins when we’re all toddlers until we’re 16 doing shows in the backyard and performing in musicals left and right,” Platt recalled during the interview. “So it seemed natural to me that I would pursue some sort of path in that arts, performance, entertainment world as an adult.”
But it wasn’t just the arts that shaped Platt’s identity. Jewish summer camp became a defining experience, one that gave him what he calls “Jewish literacy” that he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.
“As a Jew in America, you are a minority in a majority country and you never really get to immerse yourself in just being that identity from sunup to sundown except when you’re at camp,” Platt explained. “It’s just all Jewish all the time. And there’s something kind of magical about that.”
Those summers forged lifelong bonds. His best friends today are still his camp friends from when he was nine and 10. They were his groomsmen, and are still his closest confidants. The experience instilled in him a sense of pride that would later become the foundation of his advocacy work.
“The way to get to people’s hearts is through storytelling,” Platt emphasized. “Creating narratives that humanize Jews in an authentic way, contemporary stories of who Jews are. Great storytelling helps us get out of ourselves and find parallels with our own experiences to the characters that we’re falling in love with and the journeys we’re relating to on screen.”
One solution? Jews in entertainment need to do what other minority communities have done: use their positions, their relationships and their influence to tell authentic Jewish stories that humanize Jews in contemporary settings.
But Platt’s advocacy extends beyond his podcast and public platform. He’s also a proud Israel Bonds investor, a decision that reflects his commitment to putting his money where his mouth is.
“When I had my own kids, it made perfect sense to me to be able to do a sort of two-for-one of investing in their future by putting some money in something for them, and that thing would be Israel Bonds,” Platt said. His daughters were born in 2023 and 2024, making his investment even more meaningful.
“It’s an important time right now to be doing what we can to invest in Israel, which is going through so much and has so much work ahead to rebuild and to renourish its society,” he added. “At this level, it feels more meaningful and purposeful and intentional to do it in such a way that we’re really paying it forward to our own people as well.”
Through “One-on-One,” Israel Bonds hopes to inspire audiences to see Israel as a place of shared values, providing candid conversations while highlighting voices like Platt’s who are stepping forward at a critical time — not only for Israel but also for the American Jewish community.
Platt’s message to young Jews struggling to stay proud of who they are is simple but powerful: “Go full Jew.”
“There’s always a voice in us that says this thing that maybe our gut or our instinct wants to do because inside that feels right or feels fun or feels connected. There’s that voice that goes, I don’t know, it’s too Jewy. It’s too othery, it’s too unassimilated,” Platt explained. “But when we ignore that voice and push past it and do the thing, our gut is saying, hey, you actually wanna do this, it feels great. It feels more in line and authentic and whole.”
He encourages young people to remember that Jews are “the most resilient, defiant, countercultural people in history.”
“Flipping that switch from we’re the most persecuted people in history, which is also arguably true, to we’re the most resilient people in history and the most counter-cultural people in history and taking pride and wow, look what we’ve done, look how we’re still here and I get to be a part of that chain, how lucky am I?”
Platt’s work reminds us that creativity, identity and purpose come together when we build for something greater than ourselves. And in a world where it can feel isolating to stand up for Jewish pride, his voice and his example prove that not only will you be okay if you speak up, but you’ll feel better doing it.
The digital series, which releases new episodes bi-monthly, continues to elevate voices that bring new perspectives to Israel’s story and encourage viewers to invest in Israel’s future, whether through advocacy, storytelling, or tangible support like Israel Bonds.
Since Oct. 7, Israel Bonds has reported record-breaking sales, totaling over $5.7 billion globally. But as Platt’s journey proves, not all support is financial. Using your voice, living authentically and refusing to compromise your identity are also investments in the Jewish future.
The episode featuring Jonah Platt is now available on Israel Bonds’ YouTube channel. To learn more about investing in Israel through Israel Bonds, visit israelbonds.com.
