We're not starstruck, we're starved for recognition - opinion

When controversial American influencer Clavicular (Braden Eric Peters) came to Israel, some people got excited.

Not because everyone was a fan. Not because they agreed with everything he's said or done. And certainly not because his treatment of women suddenly became acceptable. The excitement came from somewhere much deeper.

After October 7th, an entire generation of young Israelis, especially those of us with international backgrounds, watched the online world turn against us. Friendships disappeared. Professional opportunities changed. Social media became a place where supporting Israel often meant becoming the villain.

For many of us who made Aliyah or who grew up connected to both Israel and another country, our identities shifted almost overnight. Before, saying you lived in Israel was interesting. Afterwards, it became political. People either loved you or hated you. There was very little in between.

When someone with a massive platform, someone who isn't already known as 'the pro-Israel guy' chooses to come here, people notice. We notice because it almost never happens anymore.

It's the same reason every time a Hollywood celebrity wears an Israeli designer, posts with an Israeli brand, or says one supportive sentence about Israel, it becomes news. Under normal circumstances, none of those things would be remarkable. But these aren't normal circumstances.

Celebrity culture has become overwhelmingly one-sided when it comes to Israel. So whenever someone outside that bubble even glances in our direction, we react like it's breaking news.

And maybe that says something uncomfortable about us. Maybe it says we're starved for recognition.

Not because we don't believe in Israel. Quite the opposite. We love this country. We know how extraordinary it is. We know the beaches, the people, the culture, the food, the energy, and the resilience that exist here every day.

What hurts is knowing that millions of people abroad will never see any of it because they've already decided what Israel represents.

So when someone with millions of followers comes here, whether for genuine curiosity, content, business, or self-promotion, we instinctively hope they'll show something different.

That's why so much of the criticism directed at the Israeli influencers who welcomed him is misplaced. Media channels and known voices in Israel quickly jumped to accused them of platforming someone who has made offensive and even antisemitic comments in the past. Those criticisms aren't baseless. No one is arguing Clavicular should suddenly become a role model.

But that's not what these creators were trying to do, they saw an opportunity.

An opportunity to show Israel to an audience that would never choose to engage with it otherwise. Clavicular's followers aren't the people watching pro-Israel content, they're often the very corners of the internet where mocking Israel has become casual, where antisemitic tropes and anti-Israel rhetoric are woven into everyday jokes and comments. If millions of those viewers are suddenly seeing Tel Aviv's beaches, bustling restaurants, vibrant nightlife, warm hospitality, and ordinary daily life, why wouldn't we take that opportunity?

The goal was never to endorse the messenger. It was to reach an audience we almost never get the chance to speak to. That's a strategy, not an endorsement.

Israelis are famously hospitable. When someone visits, we want them to leave with a better understanding of who we are. Would I crown him a hero because he visited? Absolutely not. But I also think it's shortsighted to reject every opportunity simply because the messenger is imperfect.

We spend so much time talking about Israel's image abroad. Yet when someone with reach is willing to experience the country firsthand, our instinct is sometimes to criticize the Israelis and Olim who showed them around instead of asking whether that exposure has value.

The bigger story isn't that a controversial influencer visited Israel, it is how desperate our reaction was.

It revealed how isolated many young Israelis have felt since October 7th. It revealed how rare it has become for Israel to receive attention for anything other than war. And it revealed that we're still searching for ways to tell Israel's story beyond an echo chamber of people who already agree with us.