On Wednesday, April 15, Lisa Daftari, and a foreign policy analyst, investigative journalist, and Iranian Jew, spoke to the Los Angeles chapter of Jewish National Fund-USA Women for Israel.
She discussed the war in Israel and Iran, saying, “We are at war. While this war will eventually end, the narrative war will continue.”
Since October 7, the narrative war has taken over. In the media, and on social media, anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment has exploded. Dafari, director and founding editor of The Foreign Desk, as well as a frequent contributor on Fox News, CNN, CBS, and Newsmax, explained how the other side tries to portray Israel and the Jewish community as the bad guys.
“We have something they will never have: a story that’s true,” she said.
“We have something they will never have: a story that’s true.” – Lisa Daftari
She encouraged the room full of women to use their voice and influence their networks, as well as get involved as much as possible.
“Post stories that never make it to primetime,” Daftari said. “Challenge the lies when you see them. Raise your children to know the difference between propaganda and principle.”
The journalist also spoke about the importance of being there for Iranians.
“For the Iranian people, it’s their time to finally see freedom,” she said. “This is our time to proudly stand with and support our Iranian brothers and sisters.”
The JNF-USA luncheon took place right after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran went into effect; it was during the first week when Israelis could leave their bomb shelters and not have to run back into them immediately. The organization raised $10 million in three weeks to meet the immediate and long-term needs of Israelis in warzones, including providing assistance with bomb shelters, resilience centers, and civilian security equipment.
“During times of crisis, our supporters don’t hesitate—they step up, show up, and speak up for Israel,” said Jewish National Fund-USA Vice President, Campaign, Ron Werner. “This is what decades of philanthropic investments look like as we turn words into action and vision into reality.”
The women at the luncheon watched a video of an Israeli talking about the perils of running in and out of bomb shelters, and how it affected her, her family, and everyone in the country. Lou Rosenberg, executive director of JNF-USA in Greater Los Angeles, discussed how he was in Israel at the start of the war with a group of six volunteers from the U.S.
“I never felt like I was in physical danger,” he said. “I was just disoriented. The sirens went off and we had to run to a bomb shelter three times during one Shabbat meal.”
While it was certainly difficult having to go to the shelter and feeling like he was on edge throughout his trip, what Rosenberg also found was inspiration.
“Next to the word ‘resilience’ should be a photo of an Israeli,” he said. “They have such strong resilience.”
In her remarks, Daftari echoed a similar sentiment.
“Both Israelis and Iranians know what it means to fight to survive,” she said. “They both know the cost of freedom. And they both refuse, over and over again, to back down.”
