Nikki Schreiber never expected to become a voice for the Jewish people.
The author and influencer launched her Instagram, Humans of Judaism, in June 2014 to honor her father’s memory after he passed away. Now, 10 years later, Schreiber boasts around 800,000 followers and has become a leading voice in the Jewish world.
Last month, Schreiber released a book modeled after the popular account, “Humans of Judaism: Everyone Has a Story. What’s Yours?” Composed of repackaged fan-favorite stories, new personal testimonies, and biographies of and anecdotes from Jews across the world, the photo-focused book is a joyful depiction of what Jewish life has looked like for the last century.
Schreiber sat down with Unpacked to discuss running Humans of Judaism, her new book, and why we need to tell Jewish stories.
From social media sensation to a new book
Ten years into Humans of Judaism, Schreiber remains a one-woman team. This approach stems back to the account’s origins, when she began the account in memory of her father. At that time, the social media landscape was a far cry from what it is today. Humans of Judaism was one of the few Judaism-centered accounts on Instagram, and Schreiber was floored by the immediate positive response she received.
“I started it during the year of mourning for my father, and when that sort of wrapped, I just kind of kept going because I saw it, you know, it was sort of filling a void that people seem to be resonating with,” Schreiber told Unpacked.
Humans of Judaism is a blend of current events, inspiring videos, biographies, and personal stories shared with its audience.
Now, there are hundreds of accounts that celebrate Judaism, and Humans of Judaism has become more popular and has continued to keep up with the times. The account continues to be a source for Jewish news, pop culture, and history. These different elements come across in the new book.
“Over the last 10 years, it’s been really wonderful to adapt to changing times and sharing different moments within the Jewish community and a book was a natural sort of step. Taking the story is sort of offline, bringing them into your home,” Schreiber said.
“I really hope that this is as treasured of an item as a photo album in your home, because it is just — it’s our stories, it’s our family, history together,” she added.
The book has also become a way to create a more permanent record of the people Humans of Judaism has profiled. After 10 years and thousands of posts, Schrieber sometimes forgets those who she’s highlighted but said that the book “intentionally” centers people who she thinks are worth learning about.
How October 7 changed Humans of Judaism
Since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, Humans of Judaism has become a source of support for the Jewish State. Schreiber posts moments of solidarity, inspiring moments, and also those of tragedy, documenting the experience of Israelis and those who support Israel since Oct. 7.
The Humans of Judaism book was already in the works before Oct. 7, but the war changed Schrieber’s mentality about the project.
“After October 7, the book had an added significance, more than it already had,” she said.
Schreiber made sure that the book was published before the yahrzeit of Oct. 7 because she felt that the anniversary added meaning to the project’s goal to document Jewish history and the many feelings Jews around the world have felt over the past year.
She also hopes that readers can find as much catharsis in the book as she has over the past decade of running the account and writing the book.
“Humans of Judaism itself started from a place of grief and healing, and I’m kind of hoping that the book serves that same repair, because really hearing what people have gone through gives you strength and reminds you of our collective resilience,” Schreiber said.
Humans of Judaism: Getting to the core of the story
The Humans of Judaism book mirrors the style of the account, with photos accompanying stories written in different styles with different purposes. Schrieber hopes that the short-form style of the book allows people to feel like they learned something in a short amount of time reading.
She added that so many people have short attention spans after social media, so having an intentional order for the book with different styles of story — from anecdotes to biographies to a description of a tradition — back-to-back to keep a reader on their toes and meet the reader where they are.
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Schrieber’s favorite element of the book were the personal stories submitted by Jews from across the world, including the great-grandchildren of the founder of the iconic Jewish appetizing store Russ and Daughters.
“There are their stories that were written for the book that were directly from the people involved, and that is an element that I’m so proud of with Humans of Judaism to keep a person’s voice. There’s so many different ways of storytelling,” Schreiber said.
Another section that Schreiber said was fundamental to telling the Jewish story was the final part of the book, which honors the Righteous Among the Nations — those who helped Jews escape the Holocaust —which describes the way that non-Jews have stood up and supported the Jewish community in its darkest time.
‘Matzah ball soup for the soul’
Over the past decade, Schrieber believes that running Humans of Judaism has shaped her Jewish identity and has expanded her community.
“At first, I started the account for myself, but it’s always been a tool for the community,” she said.
Schreiber now sees running the account as a “sense of duty,” hoping to give Jews the pride to “stand taller” in today’s climate. She believes that by sharing Jewish stories and love, more people will become empowered and engaged.
“Humans of Judaism is like matzah ball soup for the soul,” Schreiber said. “Everything’s been so negative. We’ve been bringing in negative news, negative propaganda, negative comments, it’s nice to have a piece of something positive with the intention to be inclusive for all and to be enjoyed by all.”
Why we need to champion Jewish voices
Like many other Jews in the social media sphere, Schreiber has noticed the sharp uptick in Jewish content creators whose accounts revolve around their Judaism. She praised this development, underscoring how important it is to have more people online sharing what their Judaism means to them
“There’s been so many different and new voices, especially since October 7. It’s so nice to see more and more creators and people just sort of sharing their own craft and version,” she said.
Schreiber believes that the multitude of Jewish accounts and her new book play a role in fighting the rapid spike in antisemitism that’s been seen since Oct. 7. For Schrieber specifically, she uses her platform to debunk misinformation and conspiracy theories, teaching people the truth about Israel and Jews.
She often draws on the experiences of her grandmother, who was the seventh generation of her family to be born in Jerusalem, to discuss the Jewish peoples’ experiences in Israel for the past 2,000 years.
“There’s a sentiment that Jews arrived in Israel and stuck our flag in the sand in 1948 for the very first time, like the Mayflower … My grandmother was born in Jerusalem, and that can’t be taken away just because it doesn’t align with whatever you know, story people want to tell,” Schreiber said.
“Providing some great lessons from history and illustrating that so vividly, I think that is one way to capture individuals in order to potentially have hope,” she continued.
