NEW YORK, United States – Jewish writers, filmmakers and entertainment executives are beginning to build their own cultural infrastructure as disputes surrounding Israel increasingly spill into publishing, film, television and music.
A new report published by The Forward on Sept. 14 documents a shift from individual complaints about professional hostility to the creation of alternative institutions designed to ensure Jewish and Israeli stories can still reach audiences.
The developments span publishing and entertainment and follow almost three years of cultural battles since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.
Recent controversies involving Jewish singer P!nk and Israeli actress Gal Gadot have illustrated how quickly entertainment disputes can become arguments over Israel, Zionism and Jewish identity.
P!nk recently faced criticism after sharing a post calling for rapper Macklemore to be removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour over his pro-Palestinian performances. She subsequently clarified her position, expressing support for Palestinian humanity while defending the ability of Jews to voice fear without automatically being accused of endorsing Israeli government policy.
Gadot encountered another version of the controversy while promoting her new Prime Video thriller, The Runner.
The Israeli actress appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and participated in a Rosh Hashanah segment with Kimmel involving shofars. The appearance drew online criticism, and a member of musical guest MUNA later said the band’s performance had been prerecorded and that they did not know who else would appear on the program.
But celebrity controversies represent only the most visible part of a broader dispute.
Jewish Writers Report Barriers
Jewish and Israeli writers have reported agents dropping them, editors seeking to remove Jewish or Israeli elements from manuscripts, and foreign publishers becoming reluctant to acquire their work.
Some literary agents have explicitly stated that they will not accept submissions from Zionists.
Those accounts do not establish that every rejection of a Jewish or Israeli writer is discriminatory. Jewish authors representing a wide range of political positions continue to publish successfully through major houses.
But the accumulated allegations have become serious enough that some figures in publishing have decided that challenging existing institutions is no longer sufficient.
They are building alternatives.
Literary agent Neil Blair, best known for representing J.K. Rowling, launched High Line Publishing Studio in September, with offices in London and New York.
The independent publisher includes two initial imprints, Odessa Editions and Antidote Books.
Odessa Editions is explicitly described as a global home for Jewish and Israeli fiction and non-fiction, while Antidote Books will publish works representing a broader range of perspectives and arguments. High Line’s books will receive global distribution through Hachette.
High Line plans to launch its first books next year, with its announced Jewish and Israeli list including works from Dara Horn, Matti Friedman, Amos Harel and Debbie Lechtman.
Another alternative has already arrived.
Canary Publishing officially launched Sept. 2 as a new press for Jewish voices operating under the nonprofit Chai Mitzvah. Its launch attracted roughly 500 online participants, according to publisher Howard Lovy.
The venture’s message is unusually direct.
Canary’s own website highlights its response to Jewish writers who believe mainstream publishing has become increasingly hostile to Jewish and Israeli stories.
Hollywood Builds An Alternative
A similar effort is emerging in film and television.
Former NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman is among the industry figures backing SHOOQ, a new platform intended to connect Jewish filmmakers and other creators with investors and philanthropists interested in financing Jewish storytelling.
The initiative’s advisory network reportedly includes entertainment executives, producers and performers and is designed to support film, television, podcasts and digital media.
The objective is not simply to create explicitly religious material. It is to build a financing pipeline through which Jewish stories and Jewish creators can find capital when conventional industry channels prove inaccessible.
Taken together, the ventures represent a significant development in the post-October 7 cultural landscape.
Jewish creators are no longer relying exclusively on established publishers, studios, agents and financiers to decide which Jewish stories reach the public.
They are beginning to create publishers, investment networks and professional infrastructure of their own.
That strategy also carries a challenge.
Alternative Jewish cultural institutions can provide creators with opportunities they believe have disappeared elsewhere, but their long-term success will depend on whether they can reach audiences far beyond the Jewish community.
High Line appears explicitly designed with that objective in mind. Its stated mission is not to create a closed cultural ecosystem but to connect distinctive voices with the broadest possible readership.
The emerging response is therefore less about withdrawing from mainstream culture than ensuring Jewish participation in it cannot depend entirely on the approval of existing gatekeepers.
Nearly three years after October 7 transformed conversations about Israel throughout the cultural world, some Jewish creators have reached a consequential conclusion.
If existing institutions will not provide enough room for Jewish and Israeli stories, they are prepared to build institutions that will.
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