United With Israel?
Though White House support for Israel may be waning, those celebrating the Middle Eastern nation’s 64th anniversary this month will undoubtedly include several pro-Israel organizations gaining momentum in the United States.
The latest among these to prove that support for Israel is worldwide and far-reaching is United with Israel, a new tech-savvy Israel advocacy organization. Tapping into the power of social media, United with Israel has already gained 1 million supporters in just 15 months. On March 4, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the organization’s 1 millionth supporter.
United with Israel bills itself as the world’s first global movement for Israel. The group now has a worldwide “friends reach” of more than 200 million people in more than 100 countries. That totals 25 percent of the entire Facebook community worldwide.
United with Israel is the brainchild of Michael Gerbitz, a technology pro from New York who moved to Israel with his wife and nine children in 2007.
In the process of developing online businesses, he says he discovered a dynamic, highly effective way to spread positive messages about Israel to millions around the world.
“The fact is, if ordinary people in the Arab world can use social media as the basis for radical change, we can certainly use it to advocate for Israel,” Gerbitz says. “It is no secret that Israel is fighting an uphill battle for world public opinion.”
