As Tel Aviv prepares to host its first official Pride Weekend since before October 7, 2023, thousands will gather to celebrate. For 27-year-old Jonah Maryles, better known to his growing social media audience as "YENTA,” the occasion marks more than just another Pride celebration. It represents a journey of self-discovery that could only have happened in Israel.
Born and raised on Long Island, New York, in a Modern Orthodox family, Maryles grew up in a Jewish environment steeped in Zionism. "I always knew I wanted to live in Israel," he says. "It wasn't a question of if, it was when."
He spent a gap year studying at a yeshiva in Jerusalem, where his connection to Judaism deepened, while also prompting difficult personal questions.
"It was an amazing experience and a place where I got so many of my questions about Judaism answered," he recalls. "But I also knew from a young age that religion and my identity as a gay person were going to be complex."
While his relationship with religious observance evolved over time, his connection to spirituality never disappeared. In fact, moving to Israel helped him redefine it.
"Outside of Israel, religion can feel very black and white," he explains. "Living here, especially in Tel Aviv, there's so much more room for nuance. I feel incredibly free in terms of spirituality and self-expression."
That freedom extended to his experience coming out while he was in college. Maryles describes his family as overwhelmingly supportive.
After earning two degrees in the United States, Maryles found himself craving change. In August 2023, he decided to visit Israel to explore the possibility of making aliyah.
Two months later, on October 5, he arrived to begin his new life.
Then everything changed.
"I woke up on October 7 to a FaceTime call from a friend in California," he remembers. "I didn't even know what was happening. I didn't know what a shelter was. I didn't have any emergency apps on my phone."
Despite the uncertainty, leaving Israel never crossed his mind.
"I never thought about going back."
Instead, he chose to stay and build a life alongside Israelis navigating one of the country's most difficult moments.
"Being here during that time was the most special thing that ever happened to me,” he says. “I entered the country at its lowest point and got to help build it back up while building my own life."
Like many new immigrants, he sought ways to contribute. He volunteered at hotels housing evacuees from the south and north, face-painting children displaced by the war in an effort to bring moments of joy and normalcy.
"It gave me the opportunity to really assimilate into Israeli society," he says.
Just two months after the war began, Maryles enrolled at Reichman University, eager to build a future in Israel and explore a career in the country's thriving high-tech sector.
For a time, he followed that path. But as he settled into life in Tel Aviv, he found himself drawn in a different direction, one toward art, storytelling, and community-building.
"What's meant for you is here in Israel," he says. "I've discovered parts of myself that I never knew existed."
What started as a creative outlet soon evolved into something much bigger, a growing platform, a vibrant community, and the persona now known across social media as YENTA.
The nickname, YENTA, emerged while he was studying Yiddish. The word, which is often used to describe a woman who is a chatty gossiper, immediately resonated with him.
"I saw it and thought, that's me," he laughs. "Jewish people love to gossip, but I don't see gossip as a bad thing. It's how culture and community get created."
The name evolved into a personal brand centered on positivity, connection, and authenticity.
"I've embraced every side of myself. I can be 100 percent Jonah, which is 100 percent YENTA."
What began as occasional content creation soon transformed into a growing online presence. Earlier this year, a simple video reviewing a taco restaurant unexpectedly received tens of thousands of views.
"It made me realize you can do whatever you want," he says. "And if it makes people happy, that's even better."
His growing audience inspired him to think bigger. During Pride Month last year, he set out to post every day, celebrating the people and places that make Tel Aviv's LGBTQ+ community unique. The project was cut short when the Iran conflict disrupted daily life across Israel, but the experience left a lasting impression.
"I started seeing my shadow everywhere," he recalls. "And there are only shadows if there's light."
For Maryles, it became a reminder of what Pride represents, finding light, visibility, and joy even during difficult moments.
Last month, he held his first solo art exhibition, titled Who Is YENTA?
"It was the biggest night of my life," he says. "I got to showcase who YENTA is, who I am. That's what Pride is all about."
The exhibition, combined with his earlier Pride project, inspired his newest initiative, ‘30 Days of YENTA’, a month-long social media series highlighting queer-owned businesses, self expression, and the people who make Tel Aviv such a vibrant place to live. At its core, the project is a celebration of authenticity, of being unapologetically yourself and embracing the freedom to do so.
For Maryles, Pride is about much more than parties.
"People miss that Pride isn't just about partying," he says. "I love the parties, but Pride exists because people fought for our right to live openly and freely."
The series also reflects his broader mission to showcase the Israel he experiences every day.
"YENTA has this undertone of positivity," he says. "I want people to see what life is really like in Tel Aviv. I want to highlight people who make me smile and make others smile too."
Ironically, despite growing up just outside New York City, one of the world's most iconic centers of LGBTQ+ history and culture, Maryles says he didn't fully develop his queer identity until moving to Israel.
"I didn't feel like I had a proper queer identity until I came to Tel Aviv," he says. "I've built my queer identity here brick by brick."
Part of what makes that experience meaningful, he says, is the diversity of Israel's LGBTQ+ community.
"I have Arab and Druze friends who are openly gay here. Being able to live openly as a queer person in the Middle East is something incredibly special."
As Tel Aviv Pride returns in full force this year, Maryles will celebrate not only as a participant, but as an Israeli citizen.
"This is my first official Tel Aviv Pride as an Israeli," he says. "When you're at Pride, you feel this overwhelming sense of relief and love from everyone around you."
For many new immigrants, that sense of belonging begins long before they arrive. Maryles made aliyah with the support of Nefesh B'Nefesh, in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and Jewish National Fund-USA, organizations that continue to help thousands of Jews build new lives in Israel each year.
His advice for other LGBTQ+ Jews considering aliyah is characteristically direct.
"Just do it," he says. "I made aliyah on a whim, and everything happened when I least expected it."
The challenges, he acknowledges, are real. But for queer people in particular, he believes the skills are already there.
"As a queer person, you've already experienced the pain of growth. You've already had to choose courage over comfort. So why not choose the growth that comes with moving too?"
For Maryles, aka YENTA, that leap led him exactly where he was meant to be.
"If you feel called to it," he says, "just go."