A Website Targeted His IDF Lone Soldier Son

Israel Ellis’ son Eitan was serving in the IDF on October 7. Ellis, a Canadian entrepreneur and author, was terrified for his lone soldier son; thankfully, since the war started, he’s been safe. However, just recently, he discovered that Eitan was placed on a website called The Maple that listed the names of Canadian IDF soldiers.

“The Maple claims to be an independent news outlet but it is obviously another left front for its anti-Israel stance,” Ellis told Aish.com. “Its decision to publish a list of IDF soldiers was entirely opportunistic, cleverly hiding behind the right of free speech.”

He continued, “By aggregating names, photos, and personal details of IDF lone soldiers from Canada, including my son, they created a hit list. The fact that they presented this as neutral information is absurd. They knew exactly what they were doing—putting Jews in harm’s way. It’s the digital equivalent of painting a target on their backs.”

The website read, “For the better part of the past century, some Jews in Canada have been traveling to Israel to fight alongside other Jewish Zionists from around the world. This database was created by The Maple to document Canadians that have served in the Israeli military.”

Doxing is a malicious act that involves publicly exploring personal or private information about a person without their consent, with the intent to intimidate, cause harm, or harass them.

The website was “doxing,” which, as Ellis explained, is a malicious act that involves publicly exploring personal or private information about a person without their consent, with the intent to intimidate, cause harm, or harass them.

“It is a digital weapon used to endanger people, and in this case, it is being wielded specifically against Jews and IDF soldiers,” he said. “Doxing is not simply sharing publicly available information—it is the intentional gathering, repackaging, and broadcasting of that information in a way that makes individuals vulnerable to threats, harassment, and violence. When websites and activists compile lists of IDF soldiers, they are not engaging in ‘investigative journalism.’ They are engaging in targeted harassment. And when these lists are used by extremists to track, intimidate, or even physically endanger people, it becomes an outright act of aggression.”

Israel Ellis

Along with Ellis’ son, they listed a number of other soldiers, including two who had passed away: “[There was] Ben Mizrahi—who was murdered while attending the Nova music festival—and Yisroel Eliyahu Suissa, who died in a motorcycle accident while on break from serving in Gaza.  How low can you get? To hunt those whose parents must mourn them,” he said.

Seeing his son’s information on The Maple was like “a punch to the gut,” Ellis said. “My son is a hero. He sacrificed his comfortable life in Canada to serve and defend the only Jewish state in the world. And now, he’s being hunted. Seeing his name on that list made everything so much more personal. This isn’t just about some abstract fight against antisemitism. This is my family, my child, my blood.”

After Ellis and others complained to politicians and law enforcement officials, the site was taken down, but the message was clear: some Canadians have insidious feelings towards the Jewish people.

“The impact of these lists is real and immediate,” said Ellis. “Many IDF soldiers have been in constant combat situations without pause since October 7.  My son and his unit served 300+ days.  Needless to say, there is a number of our soldiers who will suffer from PTSD.  These hunting lists add to that trauma by painting a target on these heroes. We have already seen cases where IDF soldiers have been harassed, threatened, and even physically endangered because of doxing.”

Ellis is the author of the new book, The Wake Up Call: Global Jihad and the Rise of Antisemitism in a World Gone MAD (Wicked Son Press, 2024), which came out before the website went up, but is all about Jew hatred around the world.

“This book is my way of fighting back, of making sure the truth is told,” he said.

Doxing Since October 7

What happened with The Maple was not an isolated incident. Jews have been appearing on doxing lists ever since Oct. 7.

“In 1938, such lists led to genocide,” Ellis wrote. “Now, nearly 90 years later, similar lists are being made again.”

Along with The Maple, there are other places online that list IDF soldiers, according to Ellis. They include the X account @trackingisrael, which Ellis said, “systematically gathers data on Israeli soldiers, tracking personal details such as names, ages, and military units, often based on their own social media posts about operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, activists in New Zealand have gone so far as to launch a so-called ‘genocide hotline’ aimed at identifying and tracking Israeli soldiers traveling there—another thinly veiled attempt to harass and ostracize those who serve.”

The people behind these campaigns hide behind the guise of ‘journalism’ while engaging in outright incitement.

He continued, “The people behind these campaigns hide behind the guise of ‘journalism’ while engaging in outright incitement. Davide Mastracci, the man behind the publication of the Canadian IDF soldier list, knows exactly what he’s doing. He is exploiting the protections of free speech to cause harm, and so far, he has faced zero consequences for it.”

On the other side, Jews are fighting back by posting up photos on social media of those who have spewed hatred towards Jews. Ellis said he believes in calling out antisemitism wherever it appears.

“Let’s be clear: there is a fundamental difference between exposing people for promoting hate and inciting violence versus targeting people simply for being Jewish or serving in the IDF. Calling out antisemitism means holding people accountable for their actions—whether they are spreading hate speech, inciting violence, or engaging in discrimination. Doxing IDF soldiers is an attempt to intimidate and endanger them simply for serving their country.”

If someone posts antisemitic content online, like calling for violence against Jews, Ellis said they, “deserve to be called out. Actions have consequences. If an employer chooses to part ways with someone who openly spreads hate, that’s accountability. But what we are seeing with IDF soldiers is completely different. These young men and women have done nothing wrong. They are being doxed not for any action they have taken, but simply because they are Jewish and have served in Israel’s defense forces.”

If this were really about human rights, like the activists claim, they would be putting together lists of members of Hamas, Hezbollah operatives, and Iranian military leaders, according to Ellis.

“They’re not doing that,” he said. “They are only targeting Jewish soldiers. That tells you everything you need to know about their real intentions.”

The Most Effective Ways to Combat Antisemitism

Ellis has been experienced antisemitism since October 7 at home and when traveling. In the book, he writes about a few of these situations.

Canada, his home country, has seen a number of antisemitic incidents and protests. Canadian police officers told him to stay out of his own neighborhood to protect himself.

When he met a man and told him his name was Israel, the man checked his watch and pretended he had to abruptly leave.

Ellis also had every Uber canceled while he was visiting London because his display name was Israel; he changed it to Izzy and immediately got rides without any problems.

He also talked to many Jews who were also subjected to hate. In The Wake Up Call, he writes about Ora, a young woman from Israel he met when he was hiking. She told him that she wanted to travel the world, but then Covid hit. Again, she was about to travel, but October 7 happened. When she finally was able to leave Israel and go to Berlin, she faced hate head on when she told a young man where she was from.

“You people are murderers,” he said, getting up from his seat, Ellis wrote. “Your country are murdering children and are colonial occupiers.”

So, what does Ellis think we should do to fight back against this kind of hate?

“First, we need legal action,” he said. “We need governments to step up and shut down platforms that incite hatred. If a website is publishing names of Jews to expose them to harm, it must be taken down. If individuals are spreading violent rhetoric, they must face consequences.”

The next thing we need to do is educate people. “The lies about Israel and the Jewish people are being taught in schools, on university campuses, and in the media,” he said. “We need to change that syllabus of hate.”

The last part of this strategy is to unify as a people and be brave.

“Jewish people—whether religious or secular, left or right—must come together,” Ellis said. “Antisemitism thrives when we are divided. And finally, we need courage. Too many people stay silent out of fear. We have to speak up, push back, and never allow hatred to go unchecked.”

Doing His Part

Ellis never imagined he’d put out a book on antisemitism, or that his son’s name would be on a list, or that he’d face so much hatred personally. But here is, along with the rest of the Jewish people.

“I didn’t set out to write The Wake Up Call,” he said. “It came to me. After the horrors of October 7, I felt an overwhelming need to do something. Everywhere I turned, people kept asking the same question: How did this happen? I realized there was a massive gap in understanding—so much misinformation, so much ignorance about Israel’s situation. I wanted to provide clarity, to educate those who don’t know the history, who don’t see the full picture.”

At the same time, Ellis wanted to give a voice to those who feel afraid, isolated, and betrayed by this shocking rise in antisemitism that has broken out worldwide.

He said, “This book is my way of fighting back… of making sure the truth is told.”

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