Our story
A 20-year advocacy institution built on a single, stubborn idea: the most powerful ambassador for Israel is an ordinary Israeli.
When Israel needed a different story
Israel at Heart was founded in 2002, during the Second Intifada, when Israel faced a profound image crisis. Around the world, Israel was being portrayed through an intensely negative and increasingly narrow news lens, while the voices of ordinary Israelis were largely absent from the conversation.
Joey Low, Israel at Heart’s founder, understood that changing the conversation required more than another campaign or spokesperson. It required people. He believed that the most powerful way to show the world a different side of Israel was through direct, personal engagement with Israelis themselves.
The first delegations of young Israelis traveled to campuses and communities across the United States and Canada, not as professional spokespeople, but as young people sharing their own experiences and perspectives.
Over time, Israel at Heart grew into fellowships, student programs, television and film, sports, music, and innovation initiatives. But the idea at its core has remained the same: Israel is best understood through its people, and the strongest way to change perceptions is to create genuine human connections.
Our story, in their own words
The original Israel at Heart film: the delegations, the rooms, and the conversations that changed how people saw Israel.
Joey Low
Founder, 2002
Founded by Joey Low
Israel at Heart was founded by Joey Low in 2002, at a time when Israel's global image was under intense pressure. His conviction was simple and bold: the Israelis themselves are the most authentic ambassadors their country has.
Rather than fund another campaign of talking points, he started sending people. Students, athletes, musicians, professionals: ordinary Israelis with their own stories, in front of audiences who had never met one.
The most powerful way to change perceptions of Israel is not to send a spokesperson. It's to send a person.