Jonathan Majburd made aliyah from Argentina 24 years ago. Originally from Kfar Saba, he is the Vice President of IT at Brill Ind. with over a decade of experience. He also leads projects for the creation of a press logistics center. When the war broke out in Israel on October 7, Jonathan decided to use his expertise in artificial intelligence to support hasbara (public diplomacy) in order to restore the truth about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to silence anti-Semites. Jonathan chose caricature to act, believing it to be the most powerful form of expression that conveys strong messages without the need for words. His high-quality creations are original, humorous, impactful, and highly relevant.
"From the very first hours of the war, I began working on scripts to create my own caricatures. I quickly realized that the fight for Israel's survival was not only happening on the ground but also online, on social media, and in the media. So, I leveraged my creativity to help the country and restore Israel's image on social networks, in the face of the flood of hatred and anti-Semitism," Jonathan told Itonnews.
A Caricature is Worth More Than 1,000 Photos
Guterres, Khamenei, Netanyahu—over 500 caricatures have already been published on his Instagram page in the past year, which now boasts more than 15,000 followers. This growing success is something Jonathan is very proud of, having started from scratch. His creations make people think, and his unique style never goes unnoticed. He chooses his subjects based on current events, and he is able to create his caricatures in anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours.
"I am a very creative person. I got started by drawing inspiration from the book of a very famous caricaturist in Israel who tells the story of the Six-Day War, before and after. A caricature tells a story but also conveys political and social messages. Through this form of expression, you can explain a complex message multiple times, in different ways. Caricature has the power to transmit ideas; it’s a visual medium that immediately grabs attention. People instantly understand what you’re trying to say, and that’s what has allowed me to get quick reactions," explains Jonathan.
Jonathan uses ChatGPT to design his creations. He first writes a script for each caricature, which he inputs into the software, and then receives several versions that he fine-tunes. Before writing, he conducts in-depth research on the subject to ensure the highest level of accuracy and achieve an optimal result. He then publishes his caricatures on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Behind each caricature, there is not only intention but also a lot of cynicism and humor. He makes sure that his enemies cannot later use them against him.
Jonathan uses his talent for several projects, some of which involve collaborations with Lebanese and Iranians, and more recently, projects in his native language, Spanish.
Jonathan participated in an exhibition that began on November 7, alongside 20 other artists from the United States, the Czech Republic, and Israel, in honor of the victims of the war. Each artist created a work in memory of those who gave their lives for the country. Jonathan had the honor of meeting the grieving family of soldier Rafael Elias Moshiof, who was killed in the collapse of a building in Gaza last January, along with 20 other soldiers.
"I had the privilege of speaking with his family for more than two and a half hours. It was both very interesting and deeply emotional. I then created a piece dedicated to Rafael, completely tied to his life and story," Jonathan says.
Countering the Antisemitism of the Ignorant Masses
Jonathan’s audience is mainly in the United States, Europe, and Israel, and it includes not only people of Jewish faith. He says he receives insults and threats every day, but this doesn’t discourage him; on the contrary, it motivates him. It drives him forward and allows him to measure the impact of his posts on social media. "The more insults I receive, the more I realize my message is getting through, so it suits me," Jonathan states.
"10% of the public hates Jews and Israelis, and no matter how much hasbara we do, they will never change their minds. Another 10% consists of Catholics and Evangelicals who support us no matter what. My role is to focus on the remaining 80%, who don’t really have an opinion or real information about what’s happening in Israel. Most of the time, they don’t even know where the country is and have no understanding of this war. These are the people we need to convince as quickly as possible because they are the ones shouting 'free Palestine' without knowing what an Intifada is or what Israel is going through. They join protests because they follow the movement, and that’s where we need to have influence, because the power of ignorant crowds is dangerous," Jonathan emphasizes.
Jonathan encourages as many people as possible to share hasbara posts and to spread anything on social media that helps disseminate the truth and counter anti-Zionism.
To visit his Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/j.majburd/
Caroline Haïat
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