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Jewish Advocate, Influencer, Educator
Jonah’s presence as a balanced, well informed, and deeply nuanced voice for commentary and education on many topics related to the Jewish community – including identity, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, combatting Jew Hatred, and lack of Jewish representation in Hollywood - has steadily grown. He is a widely trusted source of analysis, comfort, and compassionate discourse around the world.
Jonah is a highly engaged advocate for the Jewish community who uses his voice and platform (175k combined followers on social media) to empower, educate, and explore issues affecting the community both at home and abroad.
Since October 7th, Jonah’s empathetic, nuanced and expert voice has been particularly sought out by both Jews and non-Jews alike to help in understanding the Israel/Gaza war, contemporary anti-Jewish bigotry, and the shifting American political/social climate.
His words have been featured in numerous media publications such as Variety, KTLA News, the New York Post, LA Magazine, the Jewish Journal, Hey Alma, and The Forward. He is an in-demand speaker, leading panels, emceeing galas, appearing on podcasts, and giving keynote addresses for numerous organizations such as Creative Artists Agency, StandWithUs, Israel on Campus Coalition, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, and Jewish Federations of North America. He’s a graduate of Jewish Federation’s Community Leadership Institute and New Leaders Project, the ADL’s Glass Leadership Institute, and Israel Policy Forum’s Bronfman Conveners. He sits on the boards of 70 Faces Media, American Jewish University’s Maas Center, social justice arts organization The Inheritance Theater Project, and is an associate of the Tel Aviv Institute. He has been a Big in Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters for 9 years, and has proudly sponsored the Jonah Platt Speaker Series through the Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine at UCSF for over a decade.
Jonah is also extremely passionate about building stronger bonds between the Black, Jewish and Black Jewish communities. In just the past year, he has spoken at his alma mater The University of Pennsylvania on the importance of this friendship for their 2024 interfaith Martin Luther King Jr. symposium, led a joint Freedom Seder hosted by Van Jones, was the impetus for the Inheritance Theater Project’s 6-month-long Juneteenth Seder project in Los Angeles, and partnered with Black Christian influencer Malynda Hale to host an evening of community service at Our Big Kitchen LA. Current projects include the inaugural Bridging Histories cohort- a new joint initiative between the Skirball Center and abolitionist Patrisse Cullors- joining the Executive Board of the Black Jewish Entertainment Alliance, and working with the Lubetsky Family Foundation on several new initiatives to bring the Black & Jewish communities closer together.
A Jewish day school and summer camp alum, Jonah is proud to live an openly and public Jewish life, full of love and Jewish joy. He has been a guest of both the White House and Vice President at their respective Hannukah parties, has been invited to sing the Israeli national anthem at a number of galas and organizations such as the Birthright Foundation and Jewish Federation, and has both performed live & recorded many Hebrew songs, including Ahavat Olam, with his brothers Ben and Henry, the video for which has over 2.3 million views on YouTube to date.
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“Actor and Jewish advocate Jonah Platt C’08 in a conversation that highlighted Penn’s annual Interfaith Commemoration of the Life of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and focused on allyship between the Black and Jewish communities.”
“Will the real Jewish actors please stand up.”
Jonah Platt leads a Passover Seder for Black and Jewish artists and advocates in Los Angeles on April 29, 2024.
“You know who is awesome though? Jonah Platt, that's who. With a hand in ten out of the fourteen arrangements on this album, as well as one of the grittiest solos I've ever heard (The Kill, take note, CARA "Best Soloist" nominators), this guy sounds like a force to be reckoned with.”
