When Voice of the People set out to launch its first Global Council, we had a bold question to answer: What issues matter most to Jews around the world right now?
At the heart of this effort was Neta Danciger, our Chief Marketing and Product Officer, who envisioned and led the development of a global survey that would become the foundation of the 2025 Jewish Landscape Data Report and eventually lead to defining the challenges the VOP council is working to solve.
In this month’s edition of Voices of the Team, we sat down with Neta to reflect on how the survey came to life, what she learned from building it, and why it’s one of the most meaningful projects she’s worked on at Voice of the People.
From Journalism to Data-Driven Storytelling
Neta began her career as a journalist, covering economics and social issues for Israeli television. Over the years, her work evolved into a blend of storytelling, digital product development, and content strategy. Her professional path took her through edtech and health tech startups, where she built tools that combined emotional insight with technical execution.
“I’m always trying to bring together the creative and the analytical,” she explains. “That’s how I approached the survey. It had to be engaging, intuitive, but also rooted in real data.”
Listening Before Leading
The original goal of the survey was clear: choose the five core challenges that the Global Council would focus on. But Neta was determined that these topics wouldn’t come from the top down.
“We didn’t want to decide for the community. If we’re going to build a council that reflects Jewish life globally, we need to ask Jewish people what their true pain points are.”
That instinct, to lead by listening, became the cornerstone of the campaign. The team launched a multilingual digital survey in August 2024, reaching thousands across the globe. The response was staggering: more than 10,000 people participated, and thousands wrote deeply personal, often emotional answers to open-ended questions.
One interesting finding: while 76% of respondents identified antisemitism as the top challenge, younger generations were significantly more likely to rank intra-Jewish polarization and Jewish identity as urgent issues. These generational gaps helped inform the council’s approach to engagement.
Beyond the Data: Real Stories
Although the multiple-choice responses helped prioritize the Council’s five challenges, it was the open-ended answers that stayed with Neta.
“I thought most people would skip that part. But they didn’t. People wrote us stories. They shared pain, hope, fear, and pride. We couldn’t let those voices sit in a spreadsheet.”
To honor those insights, Neta brought on U.S.-based data analyst Jane Shclover, and together they used a mix of traditional research and AI tools to code and analyze the full range of responses. That work eventually became the 90-page Jewish Landscape Data Report, now the most comprehensive qualitative and quantitative resource VOP has created.
Data That Drives the Work
Before the report was even finalized, it was already influencing the work happening behind the scenes. Insights from the survey helped shape the application process, group formation, content strategy, and early community engagement.
“The data shaped everything. We used it to understand what issues applicants cared about. We used it to match people with the right challenge areas. And it kept us grounded in what really matters to the people we serve.”
One of the most successful examples was the #ProudJewishVoice campaign, inspired by a pattern in the open-ended responses. Many participants described how their relationship to Jewish identity shifted after October 7th, using the Magen David as a symbol of fear or pride. These insights directly inspired what became Voice of the People’s first major social media campaign, a launch moment that introduced our mission to the world. It was more than a campaign; it was a call to action. We invited people, including influencers, to share their Jewish pride online and be part of a shared digital movement. It became a social activation that resonated deeply, allowing us to meaningfully connect with thousands across platforms and establish our presence as a global initiative.
“We saw it over and over. People saying, ‘Now I tuck it in,’ or ‘Now I wear it with pride.’ It became a powerful theme, so we built a campaign around it, and it resonated deeply.”
Presenting the Report to the Council
At the VOP Conference, our first in-person gathering, Neta presented the report. But she didn’t just read slides. She handed out quotes from real survey participants and invited council members to read them aloud.
“A 25-year-old from Tel Aviv read the words of an 80-year-old woman in London. It was funny and moving and grounding,” she says. “I wanted them to feel that they’re not just speaking for themselves, they’re carrying thousands of stories.”
Looking Ahead
Neta sees the report not as a final product, but as a launchpad.
“This is just the beginning. We’re already getting input from council members about what they want to explore next. We’re going to keep listening. Keep analyzing. Keep building.”
For Neta, the survey was never just about the numbers. It was about connection.
“Reading those responses changed how I see things, as an Israeli, as a Jew, as someone who cares deeply about our global future. I hope this report does that for others, too.”
