In Exclusive Brighton Engagement Algemeiner Editor-in-Chief Praises SFI for Countering Media Bias

Earlier this summer, Sussex Friends of Israel had the pleasure to hear an incisive talk by Dovid Efune, editor-in-chief of the Algemeiner, a New York-based Jewish media outlet which, under Efune’s leadership has arguably become the fastest growing Jewish media outlet in the United States.

Effune addressed a packed audience at Ralli Hall on “Israel and the Media Bias: It’s Time to Fight Back”, exploring the most common and egregious forms of misrepresentation in mainstream and social media and the ways a supportive public can serve as a corrective to Israel’s ongoing delegitimisation in a hyper-connected, on-line world.

In the closing remarks to his talk, Efune, a Brighton native and son of Chabad Rabbi and Penina Efune, spoke of the need for news accuracy and the role and responsibility of the individual in presenting an accurate, factual view of Israel as an open, vibrant, and democratic society.

“In today’s age, every single man and woman is an editor-in-chief: of their own Facebook page, their own Instagram, their own email, their own circle of influence and their own and physical and virtual community. This is something we take to heart and take responsibility for. There is an unprecedented opportunity for us as a community to show support for the Jewish state and Jewish causes, to insure that our voices, the voice of the Jewish people, the voice of truth and justice – will be heard loud and strong for everybody to hear in the great, global battleground of ideas.”

Before ending his final remarks during his hour-long presentation, Efune paused to offer a spontaneous tribute to the role of Sussex Friends of Israel in this battleground of ideas. Addressing SFI Media Director Simon Cobbs who was in the audience live-streaming the Algemeiner editor-in-chief’s talk, he said:

“You have created something incredible in this [social media] space. We, sitting in our position in New York, see a lot of incidents taking place around the world. It’s ironic, but in our view, one of the greatest, on-line, digital social media efforts on behalf of the Jewish state is Sussex Friends of Israel.

“You have an incredible understanding of the flow of information. It’s timely, it’s witty, it moves people, it’s interesting, it’s new, its frantic. And this is how we can be successful. You know – and just look at how many followers you have – look at New York friends of Israel – and how many people have been attracted to [your site] and how many shares and how many views a page gets. You see how far and how extensive your reach is. I think what you’ve created is an embodiment of what we’ve just discussed and an example for Israel activists across the globe. So congratulations.”