As the US-mediated process to rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip and find a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues, two top American Jewish communications strategists say they are hopeful that attitudes toward Israel in the US – and around the world – will improve after two difficult years.
For the husband-and-wife team of Mark Penn and Nancy Jacobson – both seasoned figures in the world of political strategy and media communications – the fragile diplomatic horizon now emerging in the Middle East represents more than the possibility of regional calm. It marks a critical moment for Israel’s global standing at a time when the country is confronting one of the steepest perception challenges in its history.
Their message is one they will be emphasizing at the upcoming Jerusalem Post Miami Summit in January, where global leaders, policymakers, and business innovators will discuss Israel’s security, regional diplomacy, innovation, leadership, and the path toward renewed consensus in the Jewish world.
For Penn and Jacobson, the conference arrives at a decisive moment: just as Israel, the US, and Arab partners attempt to pivot from war toward reconstruction and diplomacy, and just as Jewish communities worldwide confront a tide of antisemitism unseen in decades.
Penn, one of America’s most influential pollsters and political strategists, frames the current moment with a careful mix of realism and optimism.
“The central message is really support for Israel and support for the peace plan,” he told The Jerusalem Post in a recent interview. “Israel did what it had to do for its survival. Now we’re at a place where terrorism can be pushed back – and where everyone can move forward, provided Hamas disarms and exits.”
Jacobson, founder of No Labels – a political organization that supports centrism and bipartisanship – and a longtime political organizer who works directly with US lawmakers, is also cautiously optimistic. “When the peace plan is fully executed, I believe things will turn,” she said. “But right now, communication and education are key.”
She pointed out that bipartisan support for Israel in the US is essential. “One of my greatest mentors was senator Joe Lieberman,” she said. “He believed, as I do, in an unbreakable bond between Israel and the US, built on shared values and interests. Most Americans, across the political spectrum, agreed with us.
“Now support for the US-Israel alliance is becoming a partisan issue like everything else in America, and that is profoundly concerning to me. A strong US-Israel relationship cannot endure unless it is once again anchored in support from both Democrats and Republicans.”
For Penn, a sustainable peace process is not only vital for Israelis and Palestinians; it is also essential to Israel’s diplomatic rehabilitation. He believes the chaos of wartime made thoughtful dialogue nearly impossible.
“It’s very difficult to fix a house in the middle of a hurricane,” he noted. “But the hurricane is beginning to pass. Moving toward peace will take the wind out of the sails of those who have used this conflict to delegitimize Israel.”
He sees the coming years as an opportunity to rebuild Israel’s bipartisan support in the US and recalibrate its global image. “As Israel moves forward with peace, it exposes those who simply don’t want coexistence,” he explained. “That clarity will matter.”
PENN’S SUPPORT for Israel is not solely political or rhetorical. His professional life intersects directly with Israel: through Stagwell, the global marketing and communications company he founded and leads with 12,000 employees worldwide, he has invested deeply in Israeli technology firms.
“We have a company in Israel called Leaders that’s at the forefront of agentic AI in marketing,” Penn said, adding, “Israel’s tech abilities are first-rate – superior to almost any other region. Strengthening Israel’s economy at this time through cross-investment is critical.”
This belief in Israel’s economic potential extends to the post-war landscape. The rebuilding of Gaza, the expansion of Israeli-Saudi economic cooperation, and the shift from military expenditure to regional development present enormous opportunities.
“There are tremendous economic possibilities,” Penn said. “If the region reduces tensions – even modestly – resources will shift from weapons toward prosperity. That could change the Middle East in profound ways.”
Beyond business, Penn sees philanthropy as a powerful tool in countering the delegitimization campaign that has intensified across the US and Europe since the outbreak of the war.
“At our conferences and gatherings, we meet people committed to supporting the hostage families, to helping those who lost soldiers, to aiding recovery,” he said. “People want to help Israelis. Philanthropy, business, and communication – they all intersect.”
But the challenge ahead is steep. Penn is acutely aware of the surge of antisemitism sweeping campuses and urban centers, including in his own country.
“Young people are highly impressionable,” he said. “A lot of their views are based on misinformation. They don’t know which side is democratic. They don’t know about gay rights in Israel. They don’t know the basics.”
Still, he rejects despair. “You can win back a lot of that 15% that’s confused or misinformed,” he said. “Politics doesn’t unfold in straight lines. History shows that attitudes evolve.”
JACOBSON SAID that supporting Israel strengthens the interests of both nations. “Now that the war is over and the worst of the fighting in Gaza is hopefully over, I hope my fellow Americans who are questioning US support for Israel will consider two things.
“Number one is that the same forces that aim to destroy Israel want to harm the US. The Iranian regime, Syria under Assad, Hezbollah, and Hamas were all sworn enemies of the US, who had killed Americans. Since Oct. 7, Israel has decimated these forces, and that makes the world safer for Americans and free-thinking people everywhere,” she said.
“The second is how deeply Israel believes in – and fights for – the rights that so many Americans hold dear, like freedom of speech and religion. In Israel, you can be who you want to be and say what you want to say.
“Yes, Israel is the home of the Jewish people, but it is also home to almost two million Muslims and 200,000 Christians, who worship freely. In Gaza, Hamas executes suspected homosexuals. In Tel Aviv, the city hosts the largest Pride parade in the Middle East every year.
“Supporting Israel does not mean that one endorses every action of the Israeli government. It does not mean that one doesn’t have empathy for the many innocent Palestinians who suffered because of the war that Hamas started when it launched the worst pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust. It just means recognizing that our countries and the world are better, safer places when Israel and the US cooperate and innovate together, and protect one another.”
Penn’s commentary on campus unrest draws on both data and firsthand experience. As the chairman of the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll, he has closely tracked trends in American public opinion.
Support for Israel remains split at roughly 75%-25% among Americans overall in favor of Israel. But among Gen Z, the numbers are nearly even. “It’s a real generational divide,” he said. “But it’s not permanent.”
Penn recently taught at Harvard and found that the students were more academically focused and less ideologically rigid than headlines suggest. “I really didn’t see the problems some describe,” he noted. “The campuses are already calming down.”
The key, he said, is for Israel and the global Jewish community to remain engaged rather than retreat from institutions where criticism of Israel is rife. “It’s important for the Jewish community to stay involved in American politics and public life,” he said. “America should remain a safe haven for Jews – and we cannot abandon that.”
BOTH PENN’S and Jacobson’s commitment to Israel comes from family histories shaped by Jewish survival and resilience.
Jacobson’s connection to Israel began much earlier than her political work. “I spent two months in Israel in high school. I spent summers at Jewish camps. Israel becomes part of your soul – it’s in your emotional DNA,” she said.
Penn’s father escaped the pogroms of Eastern Europe. His mother’s family fled Hungary. He grew up between stories of persecution and the reality of American opportunity. “My father was in the kosher chicken business,” he said. “I went in a very different direction. But early on, I worked with [former prime minister] Menachem Begin. I was there when the Iraqi reactor was discovered and bombed. Those experiences shaped me.”
The rise in antisemitism after Oct. 7 felt like a “reawakening,” he told the Post.
“To see antisemitism in America – a place my parents fled to for safety – is dispiriting. It means we have to rally. Jews must feel as comfortable in America as they are in Israel.”
Jacobson echoed the sentiment: “It’s something inside you. It never leaves.”
Both Penn and Jacobson believe that January’s Jerusalem Post Summit in Miami will be a vital forum for shaping the next phase of Israel’s global engagement. With policymakers, philanthropists, business leaders, and innovators convening under one roof, the conference aims to spark the kind of conversations that can reshape narratives – and policy.
For Penn and Jacobson, however, Miami is not just a convening. It is a statement: that the global Jewish community is mobilizing, that Israel’s allies are not retreating, and that a vision for a safer, more prosperous Middle East is attainable.
“There’s an opportunity here,” said Penn. “It may not come again soon. But if the peace plan succeeds – if terrorism is rejected – this could be a transformative moment.”
Jacobson added, “Israel needs leaders. It needs communicators. It needs truth tellers. And it needs community. That’s what this conference represents.”
As Israel steps cautiously into a post-war era, the work of Penn and Jacobson – rooted in identity, strategy, resilience, and hope – illustrates how deeply the future of Israel is intertwined with the future of Jews around the world. The road ahead is uncertain, but they believe the momentum for healing and rebuilding is real.