Every generation has its lights who shine and shape what comes next.
In every issue, ORA honors 18 trailblazers who illuminate the intersection of art, identity, and influence. We look for the people who aren’t just in the headlines but are shaping what happens next. The ORA 18 is a snapshot of that shift, the thinkers, creators, and builders whose work defines where culture is actually going.
These are the people setting the tone in art, media, design, and public life. They build audiences from scratch. They start conversations no one else will touch. They move between Jewish identity and the wider world without asking for permission.
Together, they form a constellation: a map of where creativity, courage, and cultural power meet. This is the ORA 18. The brightest lights in a world that cannot look away.
From ORA Magazine, Issue 01 — “Duality.” The ORA 18, as printed in the magazine.
Hannah Polskin
Artist / Designer
A multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Los Angeles, Hannah Polskin combines fine art and design to create “livable art,” transforming spaces with movement, texture and meaning. As a Jewish artist, Hannah embraces tradition while reframing it: her menorah-sculpture series interprets the symbol of light through marble, bronze, quartz and Swarovski crystals.
ORA FACTOR: Her work gives sacred objects a permanent place in modern interiors and bridges the worlds of art, design and Jewish cultural identity.
hannahpolskin.com · Instagram @hannahpolskinstudio
Alon Livné
Fashion Designer
Born in Tel Aviv to Egyptian Jewish parents, Alon Livné always knew he was meant to create. By 17, he was studying fashion at Israel’s prestigious Shenkar College of Art and Design. Livné’s work merges sculpture and couture, fusing futuristic vision with gothic romanticism. His bridal collections are defined by architectural silhouettes and the interplay of tech and craft.
ORA FACTOR: Celebrated by top magazines in the U.S. and worn by celebrity icons, Livné’s designs have placed Israeli bridal wear on the global fashion map.
alonlivne.com · Instagram @alonlivne
Zibby Owens
Author / Publisher
As founder of Zibby Media, a brand encompassing an award-winning podcast, publishing house, bookshop, and live events, Zibby Owens has created a literary ecosystem that champions writers and readers alike. Author of six books including USA Today bestsellers Blank and On Being Jewish Now, Owens understands storytelling from every angle.
ORA FACTOR: In a media landscape often fragmented and shallow, Zibby Owens creates depth, community, and lasting impact.
zibbymedia.com · zibbyowens.com · Instagram @zibbyowens
Lawrence Bender
Film Producer
Lawrence Bender doesn’t just produce films, he engineers cultural moments. The force behind nearly every Quentin Tarantino classic, from Reservoir Dogs to Inglourious Basterds, plus Good Will Hunting and Kill Bill, Bender’s work has earned 36 Academy Award nominations and nine wins. A Bronx native and former ballet dancer with a degree in civil engineering, his latest project, the TV series Red Alert about October 7th, marks a turn toward documenting Jewish trauma and resilience.
ORA FACTOR: He understands that the stories we tell shape the world we live in.
Alana Newhouse
Founder & EIC, Tablet Magazine
Alana Newhouse built Tablet in 2009, quickly becoming what Walter Kirn called “the single best magazine in America.” Under Newhouse’s editorial leadership, Tablet earned multiple National Magazine awards while assembling a staff who challenge conventional thinking across politics, culture, and ideas. She understands that Jewish journalism isn’t a niche, it’s a lens through which to see everything more clearly.
ORA FACTOR: In an era of groupthink and narrative capture, Alana Newhouse has created a space for independent thought, fierce debate, and uncommon courage.
alananewhouse.com · Instagram @alana.newhouse
Dror Benshetrit
Futurist / Regenerative Designer
Dror Benshetrit is a visionary designer whose work bridges art, architecture, and urban planning. Renowned for collaborations with brands like Cappellini, Bentley, Puma, and Bentley, Dror blends form with philosophy, creating objects and spaces that transform perception. As founder of Supernature Labs, he leads the movement toward bioplanning, cities designed in harmony with nature. Through his non-profit arm, The Bioplanning Institute, he advances education, equity, and regeneration.
ORA FACTOR: Guided by Tikkun Olam, his work envisions design as a living act of repair and illumination.
studiodror.com · Instagram @studiodror
Bellamy Bellucci
Filmmaker / Activist
Bellamy Bellucci’s life defies categories. A Black trans woman from South Africa, she chose to convert to Judaism in her 30s and pivoted from world-class ballet to advocacy and film. After earning acclaim at Youth America Grand Prix and performing on five continents, she embraced documentary storytelling with Finding Home, exploring identity and belonging. Today, Bellucci channels her artistry into activism and speaking out against antisemitism.
ORA FACTOR: Bellamy Bellucci embodies the courage to be fully seen, in all her complexity and truth.
Liora Rez
Founder, StopAntisemitism
As Founder and Executive Director of StopAntisemitism, Liora Rez has built an organization that reaches nearly half a billion people monthly, turning exposure into accountability and outrage into action. With a background in neuroscience, Rez understands the psychology of hate and uses that knowledge to craft strategies that actually work. Since 2018, her relentless approach has led to arrests, expulsions, firings, and real consequences for those spreading antisemitic hate.
ORA FACTOR: In an era of performative activism, Rez delivers results: dangerous attackers arrested, toxic employees fired, hateful students expelled.
stopantisemitism.org · Instagram @jewish_chick · Instagram @stop_antisemitism
Emily Austin
Sports Host / Entrepreneur
Emily Austin was interviewing NBA players at 18, and she hasn’t slowed down since. The Brooklyn-born sports journalist, TV personality, and social media influencer with over 1.5 million followers hosts The Hoop Chat podcast, judged Miss Universe, and used every single platform to advocate fiercely against antisemitism. She’s also the founder of People’s Beauty, a modern beauty line that champions confidence and authenticity.
ORA FACTOR: Emily Austin shows that you don’t need permission to speak up. You just need courage and a microphone.
emilyaustin.co · Instagram @emily.austin
Zusha Goldin
Photographer / Storyteller
Zusha Goldin turns hate into art, darkness into light. The celebrity photographer who captured Bryan Cranston, Selena Gomez, and Sydney Sweeney founded Artists for Unity to make Jewish pride visible and unapologetic. His traveling exhibit Artists Against Antisemitism features celebrities holding real antisemitic comments directed at them, transforming venom into visual protest. Its sequel, Comments for Peace, promotes coexistence between Jews, Muslims, and Christians.
ORA FACTOR: Zusha Goldin proves that creativity is resistance and beauty is a form of defiance.
zushagoldin.com · Instagram @zushagoldin
Maya Sulkin
Journalist, The Free Press
Maya Sulkin doesn’t follow headlines. She chases the fault lines. As a journalist and host for The Free Press, she covers breaking news, education, and the culture wars with a fluency that comes from living in the divide, not just analyzing it. Having started as a Columbia intern, she became Chief of Staff and evolved into one of the few voices of her generation who refuses to flinch. One 2025 Robert Novak Journalism Fellow later, and she has won a place in the new media vanguard.
ORA FACTOR: Maya Sulkin writes with clarity and bite about a world addicted to outrage and allergic to truth.
The Free Press author page · Instagram @mayasulkin
Eli Tsives
Student Leader
At 20 years old, Eli Tsives became the face of Jewish student resistance. A UCLA student, he rose to national prominence during the 2024 campus protest wave, refusing to let antisemitism hide behind progressive rhetoric. Currently in Washington, D.C. through UCLA’s UCDC program, he works at the intersection of national security, U.S.-China relations, and Middle Eastern diplomacy.
ORA FACTOR: Eli Tsives is both a role model for Gen Z Jews and a reminder to older generations that strong, unapologetic voices still exist.
Jonny Daniels
Activist / Founder
Jonny Daniels carries the weight of Never Again and makes it urgent for today. As founder of From the Depths Foundation, the London-born, Israel-raised activist preserves Holocaust memory while fighting present-day antisemitism. He rescues Torah scrolls, honors survivors and the Righteous Among the Nations, and brings world leaders to sites of Jewish history. With over 130,000 social media followers, Daniels amplifies survivors’ voices when truth is under attack.
ORA FACTOR: Jonny Daniels understands that remembering the past means fighting for the present, and he does both relentlessly.
ftd.foundation · Instagram @jonnydaniels
Ethan Zohn
Athlete / Sports Entrepreneur
Ethan Zohn is a former professional soccer player, Survivor: Africa champion, cancer survivor, and global humanitarian who has transformed his platform into a force for good. A proud Jewish athlete from Lexington, Massachusetts, he co-founded Grassroot Soccer and recently TRIBE NIL, two non-profits using the power of sport to educate and inspire Jewish youth around the world.
ORA FACTOR: Through athleticism and survival, Ethan Zohn is a symbol of perseverance and faith that define modern Jewish resilience.
ethanzohn.com · Instagram @ethanzohn · Grassroot Soccer
Shonna Drew
Pop Artist / Designer
Miami-based pop artist and fashion designer, Shonna Drew’s art draws on her personal connection to the Holocaust through her grandparents. Following October 7th, Shonna’s work became a platform for solidarity and activism. She created her “Bring Them Home” Lips, her signature lips design reimagined with the “Bring Them Home” hostage tag, as part of her wearable art collection to spread awareness and raise support for hostage families.
ORA FACTOR: Blending boldness, creativity and resilience, she turned art into a movement of visibility, unity, and hope.
shonnadrew.shop · Instagram @shonnadrew_art
Yechiel Jacobs
Comedian
Yechiel Jacobs turned his natural comedic talents into activism after October 7th with his viral videos defending Israel. Combining razor-sharp humor with unflinching facts, he has reached audiences who might never engage with traditional advocacy. Within months, he built a massive following and took his act from screens to stages, performing stand-up across North America, Australia, and beyond at venues from the Laugh Factory to Comedy Bar Toronto.
ORA FACTOR: Jacobs understands that laughter disarms, that humor opens minds, and that sometimes the most serious message needs the lightest delivery.
Aliza Licht
Author / Marketer
An award-winning marketer and best-selling author, Aliza Licht was named by Forbes among the “Top 19 Global Personal Branding Experts.” Her latest book, On Brand was honored as the Best Business Book of 2023 and is a guide for an era that demands both courage and clarity. Today, Licht has emerged as one of the leading Jewish voices speaking out against misinformation and hate in the wake of October 7.
ORA FACTOR: Through every chapter of her journey, Aliza proves that the most enduring brand is the one built on conviction.
alizalicht.com · Instagram @alizalichtxo
Ari Ackerman
Entrepreneur / Philanthropist
Ari Ackerman builds things—companies, communities, legacies. A serial entrepreneur who founded tech company Bunk1.com, he’s also a philanthropist, Miami Marlins partner, and a social media force. Honored by AIPAC, named “Father of the Year” by Hampton Synagogue, and awarded the Beyond Duke Service and Leadership Award, Ackerman was Honorary Grand Marshal at the Israeli Day Parade.
ORA FACTOR: Ari Ackerman shows that leadership means showing up everywhere – consistently and powerfully.
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