“After October 7, it’s almost impossible to be a young entrepreneur who is Jewish from Israel,” fashion designer Hadar Gertler said, speaking on a panel at The Jerusalem Post’s December Miami Summit.
In spite of this, Gertler has stood by her conviction that her brand must be proud of its Jewish character.
“I believe that the Jewish world is amazing,” she added, saying that “we need a younger generation to lead fashion, science, everything – and lead it strongly.” Asked what advice she would offer the next generation of entrepreneurs, Gertler said that faith in what you are producing is key.
“I believe in my product and my brand – this is my advice: just believe.”
Gertler was joined on the panel by national spokesperson for the Republican Party and media personality Elizabeth Pipko, entrepreneur and Miami Marlins part-owner Ari Ackerman, Internet personality and political influencer Debra Lea, and former Bal Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman.
Israel advocacy
The panelists discussed their Israeli advocacy, touching on what drives it and why they feel it is so vital. “Public opinion kind of dominates everything because social media has taken over, and you almost get a public opinion before you get to make an opinion for yourself,” Pipko explained.
In some ways, she explained, her political work is about “making sure that what we were putting out was putting the right perspective into people’s minds.”
This is an important element to be aware of when advocating for Israel, she said, stressing that “it is every single Jewish person’s fight to defend what came before them and what will hopefully come after all of us for many, many generations.”
Groisman commented on the difficulty of this advocacy in an increasingly polarized America. “Israel has become a partisan issue; it is a partisan issue in America today,” he explained.
“It’s not a good thing for us as Jews; it would be much better if it was not a partisan issue, but it is,” he added. Given this reality, Jews must “get to work,” he highlighted, saying that it is important for US citizens to only vote for candidates whose policies towards Israel they support.
Lea explained that education is a central tenet in her online activism, adding that content creators should not be afraid to fight for what they believe in.
While people are often afraid to lose friends, brand deals, jobs, or more, she advised them to “be fearless. There really is no choice when standing up for Israel.”
“Online activism is a choice everyone should be making right now. No matter the size, everybody here has a platform,” Ackerman said.
“You have the opportunity to influence one person – that’s great.”
He emphasized that he thinks now is the time to fight this battle. “Jews are in a fight for the survival of our people right now.”