The Telegram messaging application burst onto the Israeli media scene last week, with mainly religious journalists promoting the platform.
Had you asked the average Israeli what Telegram was a week ago, he or she apparently would have probably mumbled something about security and encoding, as the encrypted messaging service gained notoriety over its popularity among more unsavory elements of society, such as hackers, drug dealers and even terrorists.
But it was this notoriety that got the attention of law enforcement officials, and their interest prompted many criminal elements to exit the platform, allowing Telegram to take its place among the most popular mainstream messaging apps in use today.
As of last week, the app also includes dozens of new channels in Hebrew, covering a variety of subjects, with thousands of people already following them.
Israel Hayom launched a Hebrew-language Telegram channel this week, offering news updates as well as information on trending religious matters.
Amit Segal, a prominent journalist with Hadashot evening news, for example, already has thousands of followers on his Telegram channel, which focuses on political issues and polls.
On Monday, three religious political journalists from Haaretz and Yedioth Ahronoth newspapers and Channel 10 News opened a joint channel, where they spice up political discussions with a good dose of humor.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett himself also opened a Telegram channel this week.
The most popular religious and ultra-Orthodox Israeli websites can also be found on Telegram.
Telegram channels maintained by religious the media sites Srugim News, Kikar Hashabat and Behadrey Haredim, for example, have thousands of followers. The popular news website Kipa, on the other hand, is not yet on Telegram, but this will likely change soon.
The Chabad hassidic group launched its Telegram channel in November. The channel features information on special Chabad gatherings and currently, it even broadcasts special Chabad House reports from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington.
As the new channels usher the previously unknown social media platform into Israel, large-scale glitches were reported around the country but were fixed within hours.
