Jenan Matari

Jenan “Jay” Matari [Jenan A. Matari] has spread anti-Semitism, expressed support for terrorists and promoted incitement. She has also demonized Israel and spread hatred of America and Zionists.

Matari is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

In June 2023, Matari had 16K followers on Instagram and 31.6K likes on TikTok.

In June 2023, Matari’s LinkedIn profile said she was the “Founder & CEO” at ZAYTOUN Publicity in New York, NY, since July 2021, and the “Founder & Editor in Chief” of the MissMuslim website, since February 2016.

As of the same date, Matari’s Instagram said she was a writer and a producer.

Also as of the same date, Matari’s LinkedIn said she graduated from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Rutgers) with a bachelor’s degree in journalism & media studies in 2013.

In February 2022, Matari was affiliated with American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).

As of June 2023, Matari’s LinkedIn said she was located in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

Spreading Anti-Semitism

On June 5, 2021, Matari posted [slide 37] to her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights a screenshot of Israelis waving Israeli flags and commented: “These are terrorists. No different from those who marched in Nazi Germany. No different from those in ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]. No different from those who stormed the capital [2021 United States Capitol attack].”


On June 4, 2021, Matari compared [slide 30] on her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights the Nazi book burnings in the 1930s to Israel’s alleged confiscation of Palestinian books in 1948. 

On May 13, 2021, during “Operation Guardian of the Walls(OGW),” Matari shared [slide 40] to her “Palestine 1” Instagram Stories Highlights a Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) post thatincluded a video of rioting in the Israeli city of Lod.

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

On May 11, 2021, during OGW, violent Arab riots broke out in Lod and other Israeli cities with a large Arab population. 

The video was captioned: “When our Jewish elders and educators told us about Kristallnacht, we imagined it looked something like this — oppressors breaking glass windows as they stormed the stores, homes, and places of worship of the oppressed.”

Another example of anti-Semitism in the IHRA’s definition is “Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.” Kristallnacht [Night of Broken Glass] was a violent pogrom by Nazis against Jews across Germany on November 9 - 10, 1938. 

Support For Terrorists

On March 9, 2022, Matari posted a video of herself on Instagram in which she equated the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine to Israel’s targeted bombing of buildings in Gaza used as a base for Hamas operations.


Matari commented: “REMINDER: 50% of Gaza’s population is children (that is anyone under the age of 18) so if youre gonna pull the ‘bUt hAmAs hIdeS tHeRe’ talking point you can miss me ALL the way.”

Hamas has used hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip to hide and disguise their military command centers, weapons storage and launch sites for missile and rocket attacks against Israel. According to international law, under such circumstances those sites are no longer deemed “civilian objects,” losing their right of protection against attack.  

On March 3, 2022, Matari posted to Instagram a video of herself she captioned: “Palestinan Civilians using literal rocks from our demolished homes & Molotov cocktails to defend ourselves against the heavily armed Israeli military & oppression of occupation faced on a daily basis.”

Although romanticized as a form of “popular resistance,” rock throwing remains a deadly form of violence. 

On September 7, 2021, Matari posted a video of herself on Instagram that was captioned: “News went a little crazy this week reporting on 6 Palestinians who broke out of one of Israel’s illegal maximum security prisons. Not much to say to that other than…Long live the resistance. “

Matari referred to the six escaped prisoners as “freedom fighters.”

On September 6, 2021, six Palestinian prisoners escaped from the maximum-security Gilboa Prison in Israel. The escaped prisoners were convicted members of the terror organizations Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, who were jailed for their involvement in attacks carried out during the second intifada. All were recaptured by September 19, 2021, by Israeli authorities.

On July 18, 2021, Matari posted [slide 49 ] to her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights a “Timeline you should prepare for as Eid approaches…”

Eid al-Fitr, or “Feast of Breaking the Fast,”is a religious holiday in Islam marking the end of a month-long fasting period during the month of Ramadan.  

Matari wrote: “Israeli military and settlers continuous attack Al Aqsa and Palestinians during a high holiday,” “Hamas sends warnings to Israel to stop terrorizing our holy places,” and “Hamas sends ‘rockets’ that never make it past the iron dome.”

On June 16, 2021, Matari posted [slide 38] to her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights in defense of Hamas’s use of incendiary balloons in 2021.

Following a May 2021 cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Gazans sent hundreds of incendiary balloons toward Israel, causing multiple fires and significant damage to Israeli agricultural produce. In June 2021, Israel launched retaliatory strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. Hamas arson balloon attacks have reportedly destroyed more than 10,400 acres of land since 2018.  

Matari commented: “Don’t let them fool you into thinking they give a sh*t about the land they’re stealing.”

Promoting Incitement

On May 7, 2021, Matari posted [slide 2] to her “Palestine 1” Instagram Stories Highlights two photos which equated U.S. policing tactics used in the death of George Floyd to those used by Israeli security forces during violent protests in Sheikh Jarrah. 

Following Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests were held in over 400 American cities, as well as internationally. Many of the demonstrations devolved into riots, resulting in injury and deaths of civilians and police officers, as well as widespread destruction and looting of property.  

On May 12, 2021, Matari shared [slide 25] to her “Palestine 1” Instagram Stories Highlights a screenshot of a post that read: “it’s not a clash when one side has guns and the other just wants to pray.”


On May 24, 2021, Matari shared [slide 4] to her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights an Al Jazeera English (AJE) post that read: “Jewish settlers, flanked by armed Israeli police, entered the Al Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday. Palestinian officials say such incidents are undermining the recent ceasefire.” The post included a video of Jewish visitors walking across the Mosque compound. 

Matari commented: “This is an intimidation tactic.”

On April 15, 2022, during a wave of Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis during Ramadan, Matari posted to Instagram a video of herself in which she accused Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinians celebrating Ramadan for violent attacks.

Ramadan is an Islamic holy month during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and are meant to engage in self-reflection, repentance and the giving of charity. Ramadan is frequently marked by increased anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric throughout the Arab world, Palestinian violence in Israel and heightened tensions centered in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Matari wrote: “They are hunting us. Everywhere. Every day. Every place that we exist…Israel is a nuclear power hunting Palestinians who have no military. Call it like it is. They are hunting us. #AlAqsa #AlAqsaUnderAttack #Ramadan2022.”

Demonizing Israel

On May 14, 2022 Matari posted on Instagram two photos that compared “apartheid South African police” to “apartheid Israeli police” and commented: “Apartheid lookin’ like apartheid.”

On May 27, 2021, Matari wrote [slide 13] on her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights: “And here is why you cannot be for BLM (Black Lives Matter) and against Palestinian liberation ...We are both fighting against white supremacy and systemic racism and the caluclated slaughter of our people by our oppressors (sprinkle in ethnic cleansing & apartheid for Palestinians.)”

On May 19, 2021, Matari featured in an Instagram video interview during which she accused [00:05:56] Israel of apartheid, [00:06:33] genocide and ethnic cleansing. Matari also urged [00:55:50] viewers not to buy Israeli goods in the supermarket and promoted [00:58:15] BDS.

On May 10, 2021, Matari shared [slide 9] a post to her “Palestine 1” Instagram Stories Highlights that included a video purporting to show Jews dancing and cheering while a tree burned near the Al-Aqsa mosque.

The fire was reportedly caused by Palestinian rioters shooting fireworks at Israeli police and was quickly extinguished with no damage to the mosque. However, social media users suggested that Jews were celebrating the destruction of the mosque, when the celebrants had in fact gathered in honor of Jerusalem Day, an Israeli national holiday.

Matari accused Israelis of “celebrating the bombing and death of children and innocent human beings.”

On June 5, 2021, Matari claimed [slide 31] on her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights that Israel used chemical weapons during Operation Cast Lead (OCL) and accused Israel of war crimes. 

Israel commenced Operation Cast Lead (OCL)in 2008-09 in order to stop Hamas rocket fire from Gaza targeting Israeli civilians. In 2010, Hamas admitted that nearly 700 of the Palestinian casualties in OCL were combatants.

The charge against Israel of using chemical weapons has been debunked on multiple occasions.

Hatred of America 

On June 25, 2020, Matari shared [slide 5] to her “BLM” Instagram Stories Highlights a post including a photo [slide 1] of an American flag being stuffed into a garbage can. The comment on the photo read: “There’s no easy way to admit you were wrong. I’m sorry it took me this long. #BLM.”

On July 26, 2020, Matari shared a post on Facebook that concluded: “For doing nothing more than going to work while being a US citizen but brown I was very close to being taken and the worst part is that I have no idea by who or where I would have been taken. That is the fear that I get to live with for no other reason than BREATHING WHILE BROWN IN THE USA.”

Matari wrote: “Wassup America. Say hello to the “American Defense Force” (I think I’m pretty clever for this FYI [for your information]). Welcome to the world of occupation. It was only a matter of time before our sh*t ‘over there’ (you know, funding the entirety of the Israeli Defense Force so that the Israeli government can carry on a decades long illegal occupation of Palestinians in their own homeland) made it back home. #ADF”

On June 9, 2020, Matariposted to Facebook a photo of a police pointing a rifle at a child and wrote: “It is very quickly starting to look like the West Bank up in this place. Look what y’all did now. This is what happens when you back oppression.”

Hatred of Zionists and Zionism

On April 29, 2022, Matari wrote on Instagram: “Zionism is settler colonialism. Zionists gaslight us, and distract from the necessary conversation about how to actually achieve Palestinian liberation. Zionism is toxic. And for these reasons, say it with me, “We Don’t …” finish the sentence below ‘Zionism is toxic.’”

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.

On March 12, 2022, Matari wrote on Instagram: “Say it with me, we don’t talk to fascists, racists, bigots or Zionists (hint: because they’re all the same & they don’t want ‘peace‘)). And no one can make me do it .”#saynotoZionism #nofascists #noracism #nobigots”

On February 5, 2022, Matari wrote on Instagram: “Welcome to the anti-Zionist club.”

On October 26, 2021, Matari posted [slide 1] on her“Palestine 3” Instagram Stories Highlights: “IDGAF [I don’t give a f**k] about what Zionists have to say about Palestine.” She also wrote: “Please stop asking me to speak to Zionists and please stop tagging me in Zionist accounts/conversations.”

On October 26, 2021, Matari wrote on Instagram: “Zionism is killing people like me. Zionists are our abusers, our oppressors, and our killers.”

On June 17, 2021, Matari equated [slide 39] Nazism to Zionism in her “Palestine 2” Instagram Stories Highlights.

Anti-Israel Activism

On February 25, 2022, Matari wrote on Instagram that she was “honored” to be working with Falastani TV and the anti-Israel organization American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) on a social media campaign titled “My Historical Thobe.” 

The campaign was reportedly “an online international campaign launched by Falastini TV to stand against the Israeli occupation’s attempts to steal Palestinian culture and claim it as their own.”

On May 22, 2021, Matari posted [slide 3] to Instagram a photo at an anti-Israel rally in Sunnyside, Queens, NY, organized by Within Our Lifetime (WOL). 

At the rally, protesters held signs that read: “Abolish Israel.” WOL leader Nerdeen Kiswani led protesters in chanting [00:02:28] “Intifada, Intifada!”and other protesters chanted [00:02:09] “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free,” is a chant used [00:02:52] to call for the elimination of the State of Israel.

On June 9, 2021, Matari wrote an op-ed in the anti-Israel news site Mondoweiss titled: “Our ancestors are calling, they said it’s time to free Palestine.” In the article, Matari wrote: “This uprising is about our interconnectedness and our ancestral lineage - all of which have made us brave. Our ancestors have come back for our right of return, to free our people, and they’re doing it through all of us.”

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. 

Social Media and Weblinks

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jenan.matari/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenanmatari