How Ashley Waxman Bakshi leapt from beauty tips to the frontlines of Israel's digital information war

Ashley Waxman Bakshi is an Israeli influencer with more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and another 200,000 on YouTube. Her fans typically subscribe for daily makeup tips, fashion advice and parenting stories of raising four kids. But lately, the Canadian-born social media star has been filling her feed with a different kind of content: pro-Israel videos. Waxman Bakshi is part of a network of Israeli influencers selling more than beauty products and lifestyle aspirations. They're selling the State of Israel itself. She's part of a government-sponsored initiative known as 4IL, and its primary goal is to combat popular messaging they perceive as anti-Israel, especially related to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions community. For Waxman Bakshi, that means adding pro-Israel and historical explainers to her usual mix of lifestyle vlogs. She believes that by banding together with other Israeli influencers, they can respond to public claims by, and media coverage of, loudly pro-Palestinian activist celebrities such as Bella Hadid and Emma Watson. She joins the show to explain. What we talked about: Visit 4IL at 4il.org.il Follow Ashley Waxman Bakshi on Instagram @ashleywaxmanbakshi Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.