The fourth episode of the Israel Bonds-sponsored ILTV’s digital series, “One-on-One,” brought one of the most urgent and unapologetic voices in Jewish advocacy to the forefront: Emily Austin, a sports journalist, model, entrepreneur, and social media influencer with over three million followers who has made it her mission to be loudly, proudly, and uncompromisingly Jewish.
In a media landscape where public figures often tread carefully around identity and politics, Austin has done the opposite. For her, speaking up for Israel and the Jewish people was never a calculated decision but a calling driven by an unshakeable sense of obligation.
“It didn’t feel like it was a choice,” Austin said. “After October 7th, and even before October 7th, I always had this, like, survival instinct in me.”
That instinct was ignited at 16, when Austin, a Brooklyn-born daughter of Israeli immigrants, traveled to Poland on a Holocaust education trip. What she witnessed there changed her in ways she hadn’t anticipated.
“It wasn’t just seeing what happened in Poland that kind of woke me up harshly,” she explained. “It was coming back from Poland, doing research about how this happened, and then finding out how the world didn’t help us until it was convenient for them to. So knowing that we’re on our own, as a 16-year-old, is very traumatizing.”
That reckoning with history became the foundation of everything Austin would go on to do. When the October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel occurred, the memories came flooding back.
“Come October 7th, I got flashbacks. I’m like, oh my goodness, this absolutely can happen again. And we saw the response that the world had. So for me, speaking up was an obligation.”
Austin built her career in sports journalism, starting at Hofstra University, where she studied journalism and began interviewing professional athletes on Instagram. Her platform grew rapidly, spanning sports, entertainment, and advocacy, and she has since worked with Sports Illustrated, DAZN, and MTV, while hosting her own NBA podcast, The Hoop Chat with Emily Austin. She also served as a media consultant for the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations. The Jerusalem Post and the Ruderman Family Foundation identified her as a key figure in combating antisemitism in 2023.
It is at the intersection of sports and Jewish identity that Austin has found her most powerful voice. As one of the few openly Jewish, pro-Israel personalities in sports media, she has come to see her visibility as both a privilege and a responsibility.
“It started to feel like it was a privilege to be like the Jew in the room,” Austin said. “I felt, I don’t want to call it a burden because it wasn’t. I carried it almost like a badge of honor, where I felt like I’m the representation for the Jewish people because I’m one of the few Jews here.”
That sense of representation extends beyond the Jewish community. Austin has spoken openly about her belief that sports can build bridges.
“Sports in general, I think, is the best way to unite people,” she said. And she has put that belief into practice, engaging with fans, athletes, and even unlikely allies from other communities. “Once you sit down with the person, you will bond about so many things. Whether it’s food or sports or even politics, it’s so many things that the Saudis and I do have in common.”
It’s a perspective that cuts against the polarization that dominates so much of today’s discourse. Austin is clear-eyed about how the media warps public perception.
“The media shows you the worst side of things, but there is that majority of silent people,” she said. “People are very brave behind the screen, but when you’re sitting face to face, we’re all just people.”
For Austin, the stakes of Jewish silence are not abstract. She has little patience for those who choose to stay quiet.
“I feel like it’s an obligation, not just a responsibility,” she said. “I feel like, why do Jews feel like you have a choice to speak up?”
Her message to Jews who remain on the sidelines is pointed and direct: “Whether you identify as one or not, whether you’re proud of it or not, you’re a Jew. So you might as well own it, stop apologizing for it, and embrace it.”
At the heart of Austin’s advocacy is a belief in the power of representation, across every field, every platform, and every community. She sees the mischaracterization of Israel as one of the defining challenges of her generation, and she believes the antidote is visibility.
“You need representation across the board,” Austin said. “Because the reality is, Israel is a representation of a million different types of people. But for whatever reason, Israel’s boxed into this small bubble and generalized and categorized as something that they’re not. So when you have that representation across every field, that’s when people will really get to understand Judaism and the Jewish people.”
Austin’s ultimate goal is unity, even when the Jewish community feels divided.
“Ultimately, we are all we have, and unfortunately, not all of us realize that,” Austin said, “but I realize that, so I am going to try to unite the community as much as I can.”
“One-on-One” continues to amplify voices like Austin’s that are reshaping the conversation around Israel, Jewish identity, and what it means to stand up at a critical moment in history. The last episode featured podcast host Jonah Platt. Austin’s story is a reminder that advocacy can take many forms, and that showing up as yourself, without apology, is among the most powerful.
The episode featuring Emily Austin is now available on Israel Bonds’ YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@israelbonds
