Shloime Zionce has visited nearly 60 countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and the Gaza Strip. His YouTube channel has grown from just a few hundred subscribers to over 60,000 since 2019. Its growing number of Orthodox Jewish subscribers enjoy following Zionce on his tours of ancient Jewish landmarks in Arab and Muslim countries that are often unfriendly to modern-day Jewish tourism. The Jewish Press met up with Mr. Zionce to learn more about his mission to travel to the far reaches of the world to bring Judaism, understanding and meaning to his viewers.
The Jewish Press: You are a chassidic Jew born In Brooklyn and raised in Toronto, Canada. Tell us how you came to create a YouTube channel?
Shloime Zionce: So, I definitely never thought I’d see myself doing something like this. As a child, I really loved Jewish music, and I thought I would actually have a career in music. I liked singing and I’ve composed over 200 songs, so that’s what I thought my path would be. But G-d definitely had other plans. The whole YouTube thing kind of happened by accident. I’d seen others making content – but no one in the Jewish community. There’s some things that people feel they want to do, but they don’t think it’s going to work for them so they don’t do it. That was me for many years.
You went to Saudi Arabia, and you said that that was a pivotal point in getting your channel off the ground. What happened there?
I went on a trip to Saudi Arabia and got a lot of positive feedback from people in the community. At the time it was difficult because they hadn’t really opened up to tourism, so they were doing a trial period for the first time in their modern history, where they allowed Western tourists to visit the country. They issued about a thousand tourist visas and I was one of the people who received one. As a chassidic Jew, I had to be very careful about letting people know that I was Jewish, and there was a bit of an issue getting my tefillin into the country; they were very suspicious about it.
Saudi Arabia was a place that Jews hadn’t really visited until then, and my trip created a lot of buzz. When that happened, someone from a newspaper in Israel reached out to me and asked if they could translate the story into Hebrew so their readers could read it. It was also picked up and dominated Arab media for about a week. They were saying that this chassidic guy is disrespecting their country, and they accused me of doing things that were illegal, like visiting Mecca, which is not allowed for non-Muslims. They also claimed by wearing their traditional garments I was trying to make a mockery of their culture. So I had to respond to these lies that were being said about me and I decided to record a YouTube video about it, and that’s essentially what pushed me to start my channel.
What were your general impressions of Saudi Arabia?
First, I had a very good impression of the country. I think it has been very misunderstood. It’s an emerging country and a place I wanted to come back to – and have since then. I didn’t write anything bad about Saudi Arabia because I didn’t experience anything bad. It’s important to note that the people who were upset with me were not Saudi; they were people from other counties in the region who were upset with Saudi Arabia for allowing a Jewish person into the country.
Aside from what you experienced in Saudi Arabia, do you have to regularly address a lot of negative commentary about your videos?
Yes it happens all the time, and there have been a few comments people have said that have hurt my feelings. But overall it doesn’t bother me. I try not to engage with negativity or hate, and if I do, I usually try to have a good time with them and turn a negative into something positive.
Your videos give non-Jews a look into the world of Orthodox Jewry, both contemporary and historical. Do you hope that by allowing the world to see Judaism through this medium, and effectively addressing false perceptions, it may curtail the spread of antisemitism?
I think there’s a tremendous amount of misconceptions about Judaism, especially about Orthodox, black hat and chassidic Judaism. So I hope that my content will inspire people to be more curious about learning about the religion and culture. I’ve heard many stories and many people have messaged me that my content changed their perception on Jewish people. But one of the most meaningful comments I remember came from a chassidic Jew who had kind of left Judaism. He came up to me at a wedding and told me that watching my videos helped him find the beauty in the community that he left. I don’t know if he came back, but he said for the first time he felt pride in his community.
In your latest video, “My Secret Trip To Lebanon,” it’s obvious throughout the entire video you are in a potentially very dangerous situation, walking the streets of Beirut. You are on your way to the tomb of Zevulun son of Yaakov, which basically appears to be completely neglected by the local community. You are in disguise, covering any hint of your Jewish identity, but still you pull out your siddur to daven. Why was it so important for you to take a risk to visit this site?
Whenever I visit a place I’m trying to find the Jewish history and how it connects to my heart. Of course, as a Jewish person, Zevulun is very important and I knew if I went to Lebanon it would absolutely have to be part of the trip.
Next, you went to an old shul that had been converted into a refugee house for Palestinians. With a camera you asked the inhabitants if you could come in and film the inside. The entire episode could have taken a wrong turn (G-d forbid). What gave you the strength to make that move and do you look back at that and say, “What was I thinking?”
I’ve thought back to that scenario many times, and it kind of was a crazy thing to do. Sometimes I wonder, Did that actually happen? and How did I get the guts to do that? I try to remember and believe that everything that happens comes from G-d and for some reason he gave me the confidence and the idea that it would work out well. I’m not sure if I would repeat that if I had to do it again.
Also in the video, you pull back the curtains in your hotel room to display for the viewers an impressive view of the Port of Beirut, where in 2020 an explosion took the lives of 218 people and caused over 7,000 wounded. You said the video received comments of people suggesting you must have had some involvement in the tragedy. How did you deal with this fabrication?
To be honest, it was disappointing because my dream has always been to make the world a better place and to make peace between Jews and Muslims. But when you’re hit with these kinds of silly comments, it’s very counterproductive. Perhaps the person was serious that I would be responsible just because I’m Jewish. Sometimes when these comments happen, I get a little nervous because you never know who takes this stuff seriously. But above all, I think it’s hard not to have a good laugh at the absurdity of it all.
I think your videos should warn viewers: “Don’t try this at Home” (or perhaps, when you’re away from home). What do you say to viewers who may want to mimic one of your adventures?
I’ve never really addressed it to my audience. I would definitely say I want people to follow their dreams and their paths, but I would also highly recommend against travelling to places that are dangerous – especially in the Arab and Muslim world and especially at this time, since October 7, things haven’t been the same and you really have to be careful. I’m not telling anyone to hide but don’t do anything reckless either.
How has your family and your community felt about your travels? Do you get a lot of support?
Obviously, my family is sometimes concerned for my safety. Asides from that, I’d say from the rest of my community it’s been 99% love.
You have a diverse audience rarely seen in Jewish media. Your subscribers include religious Jews who want to experience the world and non-Jews who want a window into a world that is often insular and not so well-known or inviting to outsiders. Who else is watching your videos and why?
It’s hard to tell exactly because you only see usernames on YouTube, but there’s definitely a large part that are Orthodox Jews who are looking for kosher content, and you also have Jews who are less Orthodox. Also, a big part of my audience is made up of Arabs and Muslims who follow me because I’ve made content about the Middle East and their countries. I should also mention a big part of my audience are Christians who love Israel.
We have a mutual close friend in Brooklyn. He was featured in one of your video tours of the large, iconic chassidic community of Williamsburg. He’s a frum but loving, easygoing Jew. One of his young sons is a wise tzaddik ahead of his years. In the video he chastised his dad about using a smartphone, which is a hilarious flip-flop exchange between the older generation of frum Jews and the younger ones. Are you surprised that Jews young and old are enjoying your videos even in traditionally chassidic areas like Williamsburg?
I guess I am surprised, because when I started I didn’t think the chassidic community would be watching my videos, and I definitely was one of the first chassidim creating content for YouTube. I considered myself making content for the world in general, but I have been very surprised that they appreciate my content.
How have your videos changed your personal perspective of the world and how have they made you a better more accepting person of others?
I feel like it’s opened up opportunities for me to engage with people I might not have engaged with in the past. I get a lot of fulfillment in the fact that my content helps people learn about the chassidic community and at the same time it’s kosher entertainment that Jewish people can watch, and can feel safe their children can watch without learning anything or seeing anything dirty. But I think we all change a little every day, so it’s hard to express my personal change in a paragraph or statement.
What’s next for Shloime Zionce and his YouTube adventures?
I constantly have things I’m working on. I’ve done a tremendous amount of traveling and filming and I have lots of cool videos that will be coming out sooner than later. I recommend that if anyone is Jewish and wants to learn about Jewish history and Jewish communities around the world they should check out the channel. There is something for everyone.
