Step aside Kim Kardashian, meet the trending Jewish Instagram influencers!
Meet the 'Insta-famous' Jewish celebrities who are a social media hit...
You might think Kim Kardashian’s 142 million followers on Instagram would make her the most influential woman on social media, but for the Jewish community that’s hardly the case.
Kim K can’t offer any suggestions on the latest fashions for modest dress, she never gives recommendations for bar mitzvah gifts, and I haven’t seen a single post from her on the best recipes for Shabbos.
In the Jewish community, it’s the relatable faces of other Jewish influencers who are attracting a dedicated following on social media.
There’s a growing group of Jewish content creators changing the dynamics of the online Jewish community through Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Their statistics might be a tad more humble than any of the Kardashian family’s, but their subscribers are niche, loyal and hungry to see more.
One of the first and most successful ‘Insta-famous’ Jewish celebrities is American food writer and kosher connoisseur Jamie Geller.
She currently has 50,000 followers on Instagram and over a million on her ‘Jewlish’ Facebook recipe page.
She’s not only written several successful cookbooks she’s launched a Kosher food empire. If you follow her on her Instagram page you’ll see a fascinating glimpse into this mom-preneur mogul’s private life – beginning with prayer each morning in her home in Israel.
What’s most interesting to me about Jamie is the little details of her everyday life: how she prepares a kid friendly kosher breakfast, what she felt the morning of her youngest son’s upshirin, which butcher she recommends etc.
This type of influencer marketing is uniquely Jewish and it’s clear that there is a strong market for her brand.
The most popular Instagram hub for Jewish influencers is kosher cooking. Jewish Instagram celebrities like Busy in Brooklyn’s Chanie Apfelbaum and ‘Raizy’s Cookin’ Raizy Fried’ are constantly reinventing what we think of as traditional Jewish food.
Chanie’s Hasselback Sausage has become a staple in homes across the New York area for Shabbat lunch because it can be made ahead of time and is good hot and at room temperature – this is not shtetl chulent!
Of course it’s not just food that’s captivating Jewish audiences on their Instagram feed.
There are accounts that are breaking the mould of sharing Jewish knowledge like the young Rabbi Sam and Rabbinical student Rena who push their followers to rethink what is meaningful and beautiful about Judaism. Check out their Instagram.
They will help you create a personal prayer or offer you ancient wisdom with a ultra-modern flair, and best of all you can read their posts at any hour of the day or night right on your phone.
Now that you’re fed and spiritually inspired, you can scroll through my favourite click of Jewish women on Instagram – the fashionistas!
They live in Manhattan and Miami and their accounts are dripping in high end designer labels and of course couture diamonds.
Ariel Charnas of ‘Something Navy’ fame has translated her millions of followers, who initially came to her feed for outfit inspiration, into her own clothing line.
While her account doesn’t often touch on her Jewish identity there are times were it becomes prominent. She recently spoke out about the vitriolic hate she receives daily in the form of antisemitic direct messages.
The next platform on the cusp of welcoming a cohort of Jewish influencers is YouTube.
I started my ‘MyJewishMommyLife’ channel two years ago as the only ‘Jewish Mom’ channel online, today there are many women on YouTube dedicated to sharing their advice on raising Jewish children.
Watch my most popular video here!
One of the most popular channels at the moment is Rivka Malka Perlman’s self described ‘Transformation Coach’ channel where she shares how following the Torah can lead to a better more purposeful life.
From how to pack kosher lunches for Jewish day school from the ‘Little Kosher Lunch’ channel to Jewish home tours – YouTube is becoming an endless video archive of Jewish life today.
About the Author: Marion is a writer and content creator for her YouTube/MyJewishMommyLife Channel and Instagram @MyJewishMommyLife page where she shares her experience living a meaning-FULL Jewish family life.
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