Since Dec. 28, demonstrations across Iran have been followed by a deadly state crackdown that a U.S.-based activist organization says has left at least 3,919 people dead, with fears the toll could rise further. The estimate, published by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), exceeds the death toll of any previous round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades. The Associated Press has reported the figures while noting it cannot independently verify the toll.
Over the same period, Jewish activist organizations that have been outspoken critics of Israel and vocal advocates for Palestinians have had almost nothing to say about Iran.
That silence is the story.
Over the past two years, these groups have maintained near-daily communications about Gaza across websites and social platforms, issuing statements, graphics, and calls to action focused on Palestinian suffering and Israeli military conduct. Yet since Dec. 28—amid sustained reporting on repression in Iran—references to Iran across their official channels have been miniscule to nonexistent.
The Journal examined the public communications of seven Jewish activist organizations over a 23-day period, reviewing up to six platforms per organization: their website press or blog pages and five major social platforms—Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, and Bluesky.
The organizations reviewed were seven prominent and vocal Jewish groups: Rabbis for Human Rights, T’ruah, Jewish Voice for Peace, Bend the Arc, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, IfNotNow, and Tzedek Chicago.
None issued a press release or website statement addressing Iran during the period reviewed.
Who are they?
According to their own mission and focus statements:
- Rabbis for Human Rights describes itself as an Israel-based organization of rabbis and rabbinic leaders bringing Jewish tradition into human rights work in Israel and the occupied territories, grounded in Jewish humanistic values.
- T’ruah defines its work as mobilizing rabbis and cantors to advance democracy and human rights, drawing on Torah ideals of dignity, equality, and justice.
- Jewish Voice for Peace identifies as a progressive, anti-Zionist Jewish organization organizing U.S. Jews into solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle.
- Bend the Arc says it unites progressive Jewish voices across the United States to fight white supremacy, antisemitism, racism, and authoritarianism through organizing and policy advocacy.
- Jews for Racial and Economic Justice describes itself as the home of New York’s Jewish left, organizing around racial justice, economic justice, and democracy, drawing from Jewish values and diasporic identity.
- IfNotNow defines itself as a Jewish movement organizing American Jews to oppose Israeli policies it describes as apartheid and to demand equality and justice for Israelis and Palestinians.
- Tzedek Chicago identifies as an anti-Zionist Jewish congregation rooted in Torah, prophetic tradition, and a diasporic vision of Jewish life grounded in justice, equity, and solidarity.
Across all platforms and all organizations, only three posts referenced Iran at all.
Two of those posts came from T’ruah. On Jan. 14, the organization shared the same Hill article on Facebook and Bluesky. The caption praised Iranian protesters and condemned the regime’s response, calling their actions brave and describing the mass killings as horrifying and heartbreaking. The article headline read: “Death toll from protest crackdown in Iran 2,500+, activists say.”
Beyond those two shares, T’ruah published no additional posts about Iran during the 23-day window.
The third mention came from IfNotNow. On Jan. 15, the group posted a collaborative Instagram item titled, “Is threatening Iran really helping Iranian protesters or their repressive regime?” It was the only Iran-related post among 26 Instagram posts published by IfNotNow during the period. The remaining 25 focused on Gaza and Israel. The post questioned U.S. policy toward Iran rather than centering Iranian protesters themselves.
No other Iran references were found across the seven organizations’ platforms.
A simple scorecard
Using a generous scoring method—one point for any Iran-related post on a platform—the results were limited:
- T’ruah: 2 points (Facebook and Bluesky, same article, same day)
- IfNotNow: 1 point (Instagram, single post)
- All others: 0 points
That amounted to 42 possible opportunities for engagement since Dec. 28, over a period in which thousands have been reported killed by the Islamic regime in Iran for protesting for human rights and dignity. Only three were used.
Seven Jewish organizations. Six platforms. Twenty-three days. Three posts on Iran. During that same period—and for much of the past two years—these groups have consistently criticized Israel and focused their messaging on Palestinian suffering.
In practice, their recent communications have been narrow in scope. Concerns for Palestinians dominated in most instances.
These organizations demonstrated sustained engagement on one issue, with frequent posts, graphics, and statements. What it shows instead is a choice of emphasis.
Only three posts across seven organizations referenced Iran. Two shared the same article on the same day. One questioned U.S. policy. That is the full extent of Iran coverage found during the period reviewed.
Check for Yourself
Readers can review each organization’s public communications directly across their official websites and social media platforms.
Rabbis for Human Rights
Website: https://www.rhr.org.il/en/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rabbisforhumanrights/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/RHRisrael
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbisForHumanRights
TikTok: No official account found
Bluesky: No official account found
T’ruah
Website: https://truah.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truahorg/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/truahorg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truahorg
TikTok: No official account found
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/truahrabbis.bsky.social
Jewish Voice for Peace
Website: https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jvplive/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/JVPlive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jewishvoiceforpeace
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jvplive
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jvp.bsky.social
Bend the Arc
Website: https://bendthearc.us/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bendthearc/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/bendthearc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bendthearc
TikTok: No official account found
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bendthearc.bsky.social
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
Website: https://www.jfrej.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jfrejnyc/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/JFREJ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jfrej
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jfrej
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jfrej.bsky.social
IfNotNow
Website: https://www.ifnotnowmovement.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifnotnowmovement/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/IfNotNowOrg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ifnotnowmovement
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ifnotnowmovement
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ifnotnowmovement.bsky.social
Tzedek Chicago
Website: https://www.tzedekchicago.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tzedekchicago/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/TzedekChicago
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TzedekChicago
TikTok: No official account found
Bluesky: No official account
