(JNS) — A new pro-Israel content app called Emissary aims to streamline and amplify Jewish messaging online by making it easier for users to share curated social media posts about Israel and antisemitism. Developed in 2024, the app has gained traction with Jewish institutions and is already being used to shape digital conversations after Oct. 7.

A new pro-Israel content app called Emissary aims to streamline and amplify Jewish messaging online by making it easier for users to share curated social media posts about Israel and antisemitism. Developed in 2024, the app has gained traction with Jewish institutions and is already being used to shape digital conversations after Oct. 7.

How the app helps users amplify Jewish voices

Of the many things Israel does well, fighting the narrative war is generally not considered among them.

The country’s response to international criticism, both broad and specific, is often faulted, even by allies, as disjointed and lacking a sense of urgency.

In a post-Oct. 7 world, much of the narrative war has taken place online, with Israel turning to a set of Diaspora influencers with large social media followings to take up the cause. However, a growing app intends to fight at the grassroots level, employing a force multiplier.

Daniel Rosen is a perfect example of the purpose of that app, called Emissary, founded in early 2024 by entrepreneurs David Kristal and David Burton. Emissary employs approximately eight full-time staff, including Rosen as co-founder and co-chair, and has thus far raised $1.8 million, including a sizable grant from UJA-Federation of New York.

Jewish institutions back the pro-Israel content app

Available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, the app—with 4,000 downloads so far—delivers to users a curated stream of social-media posts from various platforms about Israel and antisemitism. Users of Emissary—cultivated from the ranks of synagogues, Jewish schools and organizations—can share those posts promptly to their own feeds.

AI tools and social curation tackle antisemitism

There’s also an artificial-intelligence component called “Ask Emissary” that allows users to ask a question, after which they receive an answer based on a Large Language Model (or LLM), meaning it was built exclusively to combat antisemitism and drawn from reputable sources in the Jewish world.

Additionally, Emissary Social takes twice-daily uploaded content from a team of curators that are meant to confront hatred and lets users easily share those items across a range of major platforms.

Grassroots digital advocacy meets tech startup culture

“I think it’s really at the vanguard of how social-media users can wade into the sea of content and feel that they have a little bit of guidance on their side, as opposed to just going at it blind,” Jonathan Blake, senior rabbi at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y. and an avid user of Emissary, told JNS.