Hen Mazzig’s nonprofit claims to fight antisemitism. Its funding trail tells another story: pro-Israel activism turned into a vehicle for progressive causes.
Hen Mazzig is also the founder of the Tel Aviv Institute, which flagrantly stole my work and refused to credit me in 2023.
It was such indisputable theft, they actually admitted to it privately in a message to me and then deleted the post.
I told them that I was happy for them to keep the educational post up if they credited me, but they declined because I hadn’t been “vetted.”
I asked repeatedly to be considered to be a contributor because of the scope and contents of my writing at the time, and despite being queer and Jewish and previously very leftist, it was clear I was not adequately “progressive” and risked tarnishing their perfect leftist image.
I am apparently not the only one this happened to.
Thank you, it sucked— and prominent social justice-oriented Jewish influencers naturally flocked to their defense despite my screenshot receipts. This is part of why I left instagram!
A lot of audacity for leftist Jewish creators on there to be speaking on behalf of Jews when they are overtly worshipping “celebrity” creators like Hen or Roots Metals like they’re Jesus. Creepy and utterly non-Jewish behavior
Wow. This is terrible to read @mallory m. I paused when this Hen guy made a couple of X comments that felt off. Now I know why. I appreciate your posts and comments and am glad we “met” in this forum. And Daniel Mael, I appreciate your work.
Nah, this is right wing purity politics. You're doing exactly what the woke left does at its worst. You want the rest of us to fall in line behind your way of doing Zionism. Your evidence that Hen is bending any sort of knee for the current progressive donor network is flimsy as hell. Zionism was a broad and disagreeable house a hundred years ago and it is now too. Deal with it.
And stop exploiting legitimately terrified Jews. It's gross.
Alright. I see nothing substantial to indicate that in any of your posts on this that I've perused, nor in conversations with other commenters objecting to your position. But nobody in attack dog mode sees reason in the age of the internet from a conversation in Substack comments. And that's not to say attack dogging is absolutely always bad. But I'm out.
There needs to be a bright line between disagreeing with someone's politics (legitimate) and slandering them as a grifter without backing up incendiary claims (illegitimate and very sad to see within the Jewish community). Hen has had an important and positive impact. His connection between Zionism and liberalism is legitimate: zooming out in the Middle East, it is not just Jews who are impacted by Jihadism/Islamism but many minority groups who are targeted because they stand in the way of Arab Supremacy. This doesn't denigrate nor delegitimize other factual pieces of history and information about Israel.
There is also not an inherent conflict between Zionism and liberalism in theory and component (in fact there are important similarities and complimentary elements). That said, many liberal institutions have become infested with antisemitism. I find the idea that if someone is a liberal Zionist, they are automatically an antizionist objectionable and provably false. It is akin to the bogus pro-Palestinian argument that Zionism is not defined the way Jews define it (right to self-determine in our ancestral homeland), but their narrative of the way Palestinians have been impacted by it (occupation, colonization, etc etc). You can and must separate a movement in its founding tenets from the way its enemies define it. The author here is clearly conservative and hates liberals; he has the right to hold that opinion, and many Jews have been harmed by the liberal community in recent years. That does not inherently make the principles of liberalism bad.
With all that said, it would be helpful to get some sources and evidence on which antizionist organizations or funds have been supported by Tides and how much of TLVi's current funding and operations are impacted by them. Understand that the latter may be less traceable, but the author makes claims very confidently about the former without providing evidence.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Can you please elaborate on "Hen has had an important and positive impact"? Are you aware of the dozens of negative things he has said/written to slander the Israeli government and attack other pro-Israel influencers?
I am speaking as an American Jew - not Israeli, with no ability to affect change in Israel's policy (no vote there), but the ability to both disagree and agree on various parts of it. I am a (relatively) young Zionist who knows our history very well and also want to see a human-centered and empathic voice who unapologetically stands for Israel without denigrating others. I am not speaking to who does and doesn't do the latter (and I have also seen some of Hen's unsavory posts about other pro-Israel voices; didn't like those either ftr), just commenting that he manages to walk that difficult balance, and his media appearances in debate rings like Piers Morgan have had the impact of a reasonable voice who speaks in favor of Israel, with evidence, facts, and the POV of a Mizrahi Jew. The Israeli govt's various spokespeople have had more limited success in this arena - sometimes to cringy effect that frustrates many of us. His insistence that there is not a conflict between believing in Palestinians having rights and ardently supporting Israel has been very heartening to me - and I say that with eyes wide open to what the Palestinian movement represents, radicalization of Gaza, and all its complexities.
If you would, in return, answer my question regarding the other orgs that Tides funds, and also point to where I could read further for evidence of those claims, I'd appreciate it.
I see Israel as a non-partisan/bipartisan issue which we should embrace and should be thanking not attacking those who support Israel. Israel is not something for right wingers. Or Left wingers. And you're not a better supporter just by fact of you being on the left or right. (And if do want to critique organizations and individuals for their other views; to do so without bringing up Israel. I think Hen Mazzig has put himself "on the line" time and time and time again in defense of Israel in the face of vicious attacks. And his other issues I may or may not care about; but they're really irrelevant here. I think we need to thank and support those on the left who support Israel, even if may disagree with them on other issues. Just as we need to thank and support those on the right who support Israel, even if may disagree with them on other issues. (And I am familiar with the Tides Foundation)
Jews is the U.S. will advocate for lgbtq rights and racial equity with or without permission from you, Hen and/or his posse of clandestine benefactors. So what? Ashkanazi Jews represent the minority in Israel. Why wouldn’t a challenging racial equity dialog be relevant to a country where Sephardic, Mizrahi and Arab Israelis make up the majority. Do I wish Hen had been more transparent about who his benefactors were? Of course I do. And I also appreciate the rigor of your investigation. Why is any of this a threat to the world’s only Jewish state ?
I don't think it's right for all this hate to be focused on Hen just because he has left wing policies? There is a huge progressive movement in Israel and legacy jewish advocacy orgs have been beyond useless since this war began. Where is your ire for them? What have ADL done? What have UJIA done? What has JNF done? Where is young judea? The list goes on.
Hen is a progressive making arguments to other progressives - must all Zionists be right wing?! He's a mouthpiece for a very real contingent of Jews (particularly American ones): progressives who support leftist and identity politics to a large (and hopefully sensible) degree and also love Israel.
As for Black Lives Matter, there is clearly a difference between supporting the cause (which had mass support in the US) and supporting the specific BLM nonprofit, which has some objectionable politics and corruption issues. Regardless of what you think about BLM, the truth is that when most Americans use the slogan, they are referring to a general movement for black social mobility, not endorsing the organization's rhetoric.
The people who Hen speaks to are exactly the type to be moved by his story: gay, traditional background, Mizrahi. Most anti-Israel leftists do not even know Mizrahi Jews exist! Why are we going after friends when we have so many enemies?
No, not every Zionist must be right-wing. Hen has again and again attacked anyone who is center or center-right and pushes those policies. Anyone who doesn't agree with him is "extreme." Just look at his social media accounts.
What is Hen saying/doing that is anti-Jew or anti-Israel? (Genuinely asking, I don't know the answer).
The source of the money isn't inherently a concern as long as it isn't used to slander Israel or promote lies.
As to progressive causes and left-speak, while I certainly find it annoying, if someone is able to reach leftists with pro-Israel messaging, it seems like a positive.
Yes, and I support LGB but not T. And I especially think they shouldn't always be linked together as if under a mandate that all be "queer." Still, I appreciate Hen Mazzig. Today.
I know Hen is wedded to Progressive politics sometimes to detriment of Israel safety and is not strong enough a defender AT times SPEAKING OUT 2 sides of mouth but THE TIDES FOUNDATION!!!!
I don't think it's right for all this hate to be focused on Hen just because he has left wing policies? There is a huge progressive movement in Israel and legacy jewish advocacy orgs have been beyond useless since this war began. Where is your ire for them? What have ADL done? What have UJIA done? What has JNF done? Where is young judea? The list goes on.
Hen Mazzig is also the founder of the Tel Aviv Institute, which flagrantly stole my work and refused to credit me in 2023.
It was such indisputable theft, they actually admitted to it privately in a message to me and then deleted the post.
I told them that I was happy for them to keep the educational post up if they credited me, but they declined because I hadn’t been “vetted.”
I asked repeatedly to be considered to be a contributor because of the scope and contents of my writing at the time, and despite being queer and Jewish and previously very leftist, it was clear I was not adequately “progressive” and risked tarnishing their perfect leftist image.
I am apparently not the only one this happened to.
I am so sorry that this happened to you. This is completely disgusting. Would love to talk to you further about this.
Thank you, it sucked— and prominent social justice-oriented Jewish influencers naturally flocked to their defense despite my screenshot receipts. This is part of why I left instagram!
A lot of audacity for leftist Jewish creators on there to be speaking on behalf of Jews when they are overtly worshipping “celebrity” creators like Hen or Roots Metals like they’re Jesus. Creepy and utterly non-Jewish behavior
Wow. This is terrible to read @mallory m. I paused when this Hen guy made a couple of X comments that felt off. Now I know why. I appreciate your posts and comments and am glad we “met” in this forum. And Daniel Mael, I appreciate your work.
I didn't know he had backed BLM but have been distressed by many of his recent posts. Now I know why. Thanks for shedding light on this guy.
Nah, this is right wing purity politics. You're doing exactly what the woke left does at its worst. You want the rest of us to fall in line behind your way of doing Zionism. Your evidence that Hen is bending any sort of knee for the current progressive donor network is flimsy as hell. Zionism was a broad and disagreeable house a hundred years ago and it is now too. Deal with it.
And stop exploiting legitimately terrified Jews. It's gross.
Not at all. I suggest you actually read what I wrote.
I did. That's what I think it is.
I think Hen is an extremist. He brands rational people as an extremist. People can compete in the field of ideas.
Alright. I see nothing substantial to indicate that in any of your posts on this that I've perused, nor in conversations with other commenters objecting to your position. But nobody in attack dog mode sees reason in the age of the internet from a conversation in Substack comments. And that's not to say attack dogging is absolutely always bad. But I'm out.
There needs to be a bright line between disagreeing with someone's politics (legitimate) and slandering them as a grifter without backing up incendiary claims (illegitimate and very sad to see within the Jewish community). Hen has had an important and positive impact. His connection between Zionism and liberalism is legitimate: zooming out in the Middle East, it is not just Jews who are impacted by Jihadism/Islamism but many minority groups who are targeted because they stand in the way of Arab Supremacy. This doesn't denigrate nor delegitimize other factual pieces of history and information about Israel.
There is also not an inherent conflict between Zionism and liberalism in theory and component (in fact there are important similarities and complimentary elements). That said, many liberal institutions have become infested with antisemitism. I find the idea that if someone is a liberal Zionist, they are automatically an antizionist objectionable and provably false. It is akin to the bogus pro-Palestinian argument that Zionism is not defined the way Jews define it (right to self-determine in our ancestral homeland), but their narrative of the way Palestinians have been impacted by it (occupation, colonization, etc etc). You can and must separate a movement in its founding tenets from the way its enemies define it. The author here is clearly conservative and hates liberals; he has the right to hold that opinion, and many Jews have been harmed by the liberal community in recent years. That does not inherently make the principles of liberalism bad.
With all that said, it would be helpful to get some sources and evidence on which antizionist organizations or funds have been supported by Tides and how much of TLVi's current funding and operations are impacted by them. Understand that the latter may be less traceable, but the author makes claims very confidently about the former without providing evidence.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Can you please elaborate on "Hen has had an important and positive impact"? Are you aware of the dozens of negative things he has said/written to slander the Israeli government and attack other pro-Israel influencers?
I am speaking as an American Jew - not Israeli, with no ability to affect change in Israel's policy (no vote there), but the ability to both disagree and agree on various parts of it. I am a (relatively) young Zionist who knows our history very well and also want to see a human-centered and empathic voice who unapologetically stands for Israel without denigrating others. I am not speaking to who does and doesn't do the latter (and I have also seen some of Hen's unsavory posts about other pro-Israel voices; didn't like those either ftr), just commenting that he manages to walk that difficult balance, and his media appearances in debate rings like Piers Morgan have had the impact of a reasonable voice who speaks in favor of Israel, with evidence, facts, and the POV of a Mizrahi Jew. The Israeli govt's various spokespeople have had more limited success in this arena - sometimes to cringy effect that frustrates many of us. His insistence that there is not a conflict between believing in Palestinians having rights and ardently supporting Israel has been very heartening to me - and I say that with eyes wide open to what the Palestinian movement represents, radicalization of Gaza, and all its complexities.
If you would, in return, answer my question regarding the other orgs that Tides funds, and also point to where I could read further for evidence of those claims, I'd appreciate it.
You spent all that time writing this to tell us that Hen Mazzig is a liberal Zionist? Huge, if true!
I see Israel as a non-partisan/bipartisan issue which we should embrace and should be thanking not attacking those who support Israel. Israel is not something for right wingers. Or Left wingers. And you're not a better supporter just by fact of you being on the left or right. (And if do want to critique organizations and individuals for their other views; to do so without bringing up Israel. I think Hen Mazzig has put himself "on the line" time and time and time again in defense of Israel in the face of vicious attacks. And his other issues I may or may not care about; but they're really irrelevant here. I think we need to thank and support those on the left who support Israel, even if may disagree with them on other issues. Just as we need to thank and support those on the right who support Israel, even if may disagree with them on other issues. (And I am familiar with the Tides Foundation)
Jews is the U.S. will advocate for lgbtq rights and racial equity with or without permission from you, Hen and/or his posse of clandestine benefactors. So what? Ashkanazi Jews represent the minority in Israel. Why wouldn’t a challenging racial equity dialog be relevant to a country where Sephardic, Mizrahi and Arab Israelis make up the majority. Do I wish Hen had been more transparent about who his benefactors were? Of course I do. And I also appreciate the rigor of your investigation. Why is any of this a threat to the world’s only Jewish state ?
I don't think it's right for all this hate to be focused on Hen just because he has left wing policies? There is a huge progressive movement in Israel and legacy jewish advocacy orgs have been beyond useless since this war began. Where is your ire for them? What have ADL done? What have UJIA done? What has JNF done? Where is young judea? The list goes on.
Hen is a progressive making arguments to other progressives - must all Zionists be right wing?! He's a mouthpiece for a very real contingent of Jews (particularly American ones): progressives who support leftist and identity politics to a large (and hopefully sensible) degree and also love Israel.
As for Black Lives Matter, there is clearly a difference between supporting the cause (which had mass support in the US) and supporting the specific BLM nonprofit, which has some objectionable politics and corruption issues. Regardless of what you think about BLM, the truth is that when most Americans use the slogan, they are referring to a general movement for black social mobility, not endorsing the organization's rhetoric.
The people who Hen speaks to are exactly the type to be moved by his story: gay, traditional background, Mizrahi. Most anti-Israel leftists do not even know Mizrahi Jews exist! Why are we going after friends when we have so many enemies?
No, not every Zionist must be right-wing. Hen has again and again attacked anyone who is center or center-right and pushes those policies. Anyone who doesn't agree with him is "extreme." Just look at his social media accounts.
I thought he was Hasan Piker for a second. He should get a stylist.
What is Hen saying/doing that is anti-Jew or anti-Israel? (Genuinely asking, I don't know the answer).
The source of the money isn't inherently a concern as long as it isn't used to slander Israel or promote lies.
As to progressive causes and left-speak, while I certainly find it annoying, if someone is able to reach leftists with pro-Israel messaging, it seems like a positive.
Yes, and I support LGB but not T. And I especially think they shouldn't always be linked together as if under a mandate that all be "queer." Still, I appreciate Hen Mazzig. Today.
Thank you for this comprehensive and in depth article exposing Hen.
This was instructive although I do not find anti-Israel content in Hen Mazzig's substack as I do with J-Street.
Much of his writing is inspiring and supports Israel.
https://henmazzig.substack.com/
This is wildly disappointing
I know Hen is wedded to Progressive politics sometimes to detriment of Israel safety and is not strong enough a defender AT times SPEAKING OUT 2 sides of mouth but THE TIDES FOUNDATION!!!!
I don't think it's right for all this hate to be focused on Hen just because he has left wing policies? There is a huge progressive movement in Israel and legacy jewish advocacy orgs have been beyond useless since this war began. Where is your ire for them? What have ADL done? What have UJIA done? What has JNF done? Where is young judea? The list goes on.
I had no idea about Mazig and I’ve been supportive in the past on SM. How did you learn of this connection? So disappointing but glad to know.
Why do you take Daniel as the authority?