We’ve written about Nerdeen Kiswani before. She’s the leader of the group Within Our Lifetime which has organized protests around New York. Her views are more extreme than some anti-Zionists. Here she is just last week saying that you can’t be anti-Zionist and also say Israel has a right to exist.
Be wary of those trying to redefine anti-Zionism in real time. They see how toxic Zionism has become and try to salvage it by defending Israel’s “right to exist.” But you can’t uphold that and still call yourself anti-Zionist. That’s the danger of the Mamdani’s and Beinart’s. https://t.co/BGaJamQaUH
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 20, 2025
There’s another person who has made a name for himself in this space in New York and his name is Jacob Berger. He’s a Jewish actor/comedian turned full-time Israel critic. In a short time he became a favorite with many people on the far left.
…since the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel by Hamas, Berger has become a virtual rock star in the anti-Israel scene, publishing selfies with activist luminaries, including socialist politician Cornel West, political scientist Norman Finkelstein, previously-detained protest leader Mamoud Khalil, Hollywood actor Rami Malek and rapper Macklemore.
In June, former Democratic New York U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman interrupted his own reelection rally, railing against Israel and Republicans, to give Berger a shoutout and handslap.
“Jacob Berger’s the man…He’s a brilliant artist, brilliant human! Jacob, thank you for being here. Appreciate you,” Bowman said as Berger beamed for the camera.
Last month, popular Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef, now living in the U.S., recorded a video, “Hey, Jacob BURGER! … I’m a big fan. I love you, man.”
Days later, in an Instagram Live video, Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib gushed over Berger, as he stood on the “Freedom Flotilla,” sailing toward Gaza. “Thank you, Jacob!” Tlaib said, leaning into the camera to throw him kisses.
Berger has a million followers on Instagram and even more on TikTok. But earlier this month there was a clash of the anti-Zionist titans as Nerdeen Kiswani did a thread on X accusing Berger of being a grifter who used the anti-Israel movement for his own ends.
This man was a failed OnlyFans creator before rebranding as a “Palestine supporter.” Since then, he’s taken sponsorship deals, asked for donations nonstop, and monetized every angle of his supposed activism.
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 1, 2025
He reportedly made videos with Palestinian children on a “field trip,” asking people to donate for these “orphans” without consent from their families. When they found out and asked him to take it down, he blocked them.
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 1, 2025
He joined a solidarity flotilla and then voluntarily signed self-deportation orders, abandoning others who went on hunger strike while still in captivity. When people asked him about it, he blocked them too.
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 1, 2025
He centers himself in everything. Even when talking to Palestinians and on livestreams, it’s “me me me” how he suffers, how he is censored, how he gave up fame, while literally grifting off of a genocide.
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 1, 2025
This isn’t cancel culture, she claims, even as she’s doing her best to cancel him.
If you’ve felt uneasy about him, you’re not alone. Palestinians have been warning for a long time. Many are blocked when they raise concerns.
This isn’t cancel culture. It’s protecting the movement from exploiters. If your solidarity is self-promotion, it’s actually extraction.
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 1, 2025
I read this thread and there’s no allegation that Berger actually did anything wrong as she’s trying to imply here. He made me uncomfortable is basically the standard leftist call for a safe space as a way to exclude someone. In this case, his crimes are that he is white, Jewish and jokes about liking Arab women.
Like is this supposed to be normal?? a white Jewish guy starts supporting Palestine and then bases half of his content around fetishizing Arab women and we’re not supposed to call this out?? pic.twitter.com/eIYvf8hYIS
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) August 2, 2025
Berger put out a video responding to these allegations, denying he’s done anything wrong. He seems genuinely shocked here in an I thought the alligator would eat me last sort of way. He’s been down with the struggle for two years now and suddenly he’s public enemy #1.
Since then there has been some backlash aimed at Nerdeen Kiswani for how she handled this. Even people on the far left know cancel culture when they see it.
Important Message regarding the current attempted to cancel Jacob Berger pic.twitter.com/JGTgFinAOI
— The Palestine News Network (@PaliNewsNetwork) August 3, 2025
I’m not a fan of their politics so from my point of view seeing cancel culture break out in the midst of this “movement” is fine with me. This is how things go in seemingly every left-wing group these days. Whatever goal these groups have initially, they soon get mired in internal squabbles like this one which are presented as issues of safety and commitment to the cause, but are really just petty bickering, jealousy and a desire to maintain the limelight for themselves.
Update: It looks like Jacob’s TikTok channel with 2 million followers was taken down about two weeks ago and now there’s a new page where he says he’ll rebuild.
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