by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

January 8, 2009

Joshua Kratchman, 23, was outraged at what a British acquaintance posted prominently on Facebook, the social networking website.

“It was really offensive,” recalled the West Orange resident. “It said, ‘Israel is a bunch of “bleeping” scumbags.’”

In response, on Dec. 29 he launched a Facebook group, “Support Israel, Ignore the Media, and Spread the Truth.” The group now has close to 300 members. They come from around the world, but particularly from New Jersey, Israel, and Australia.

They are mostly 20-somethings although the list does include a few people who appear to be over 40.

“The war is being fought in the media. This is my battle,” Kratchman told NJJN in a telephone interview.
People have joined to show their support; some have added their own comments and uploads. These include a link to a YouTube video that purports to show members of Hamas using children as shields. Many share their distress at media reports they feel are biased against Israel, or provide counter-examples of coverage they consider fair.

Kratchman, a graduate of Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston, completed his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University in 2007. He returned from a lengthy European backpacking trip in November. He was struck during his travels by what he perceives as slanted reports in the international media.

“The United States is the only place where the news isn’t very Arab-biased,” he said.

He started watching the media carefully in December, when the situation deteriorated and Hamas made it clear it would not continue a six-month truce. When Israel began its air campaign, he worried, “All the media, especially the international media, was covering how Israel was blatantly bombing Gaza villages,” as opposed to specific military targets, he said.

Regarding the growth of the Facebook site, he said, “I had no idea what to expect. I am happy people are telling their friends, and it’s a really international group.”

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