Even though I’m not Jewish, I’ve spent the majority of my adult life in Jewish communities. Penn, where I went to undergrad, was 35% Jewish at the time. I attended my first Shabbat dinners there and learned about Jewish culture, traditions, and holidays.
New York theater, where I started my career, has a large Jewish community. I lived on the Upper West Side for many years, a neighborhood that is largely Jewish. Now I live in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn where there is a mix of just about every religion, culture, and language, including a large Jewish community and a large Muslim community who live side-by-side. Many of my dearest friends are Jewish and Muslim, and their pain now is palpable.
My friends Vince and Jane visited me last weekend. When we went out for our kosher pizza crawl and tasting, we found that nearly every shop was closed, in mourning. As I’ve gone for my run each day this week, I can see and feel the heavy weight of sadness here. Everyone is waiting for word about their loved ones and what will happen next in this horrible, dangerous war.
I have been in touch with my friends in Israel, and friends here whom I know have family there. Thankfully, they are all safe. And all of them are scared. Some are leaving the country. Some are determined to stay. Some are still trying to decide what to do. The heightened alert has also extended to NYC.
The footage from Israel and Gaza is difficult to watch this week but I have forced myself to do it to bear witness and to listen to their stories. I find myself crying with them, hurting with them, and fearing what’s to come.
I’m not an expert on the geopolitics there, nor on all of the history. But I do know that people whom mean a lot to me are there, and I’m afraid for their safety every day. I’m gutted for all of the families and friends who have lost someone and who have no idea where their loved ones are. I’m devastated for all of the children, the wounded, those whom we’ve lost, and the many who have lost who and what they hold dear.
I’m hoping for peace for everyone. Israel and Gaza have already been through so much, especially this last year. Now the devastation has escalated exponentially.
Yesterday, I found this photo by Levi Meir Clancy. It was taken last year at Netiv HaAsara facing the Gaza border. It has the words “Path to Peace” in Hebrew, Arabic, and English further along and the mural depicts a path with flowers, homes, and trees. Netiv HaAsara is a moshav (a cooperative agricultural community) in southern Israel. I hope we can all find our way to that path and walk together. There is so much healing needed.
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
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