Nuseir “Nas” Yassin, the viral vlogger behind the addictive one-minute Nas Daily videos from around the world, sent an open invitation to all of Israel to come visit him and his family in the Arab town of Arraba.
“I’m not sure how many people will show up. But we’ll be probably going from 4 pm until 8 pm or so. If 5 people show up, we can accommodate. If 100 people show up, we can accommodate, but please message me to get an idea,” Yassin writes on the post.
More than 30,000 people viewed his invitation in the first seven hours of his posting on Facebook. The active comments section suggests Yassin may have to call on his neighbors to help host all the people intending to come this Saturday, March 4, 2017.
“It’s really hard to predict how many people will come,” he tells ISRAEL21c in a telephone interview. “I think it will be more like 40.”
Yassin’s post is accompanied by a video in which he talks about his hometown as a place Israelis don’t usually visit but should or could. The 25-year-old, who is now based out of New York when he’s not travelling, grew up in Arraba.
“Many people in Israel think Arab towns are dangerous and that is false,” Yassin narrates. “And that’s why I decided to invite all of you! Anyone that’s watching this video. You can literally be anybody as long as you’re not a murderer.”
On the accompanying Facebook invitation post, he writes that in his 19 years living in Israel, he never had the opportunity to “have my Arab and Jewish friends be…friends.”
So, he decided to create the opportunity for a meeting.
“My videos are for everyone. Because of who I am, I’m able to invite Arabs to my place and also Jews. So, I feel why not just exploit this? Any friendships made are awesome,” he tells ISRAEL21c. “It’s really a positive thing on all sides.”
“This is kind of a great way to get people who otherwise would never meet together,” reads one comment on the Nas Daily Facebook page. “Nas, keep on spreading the love. You have a big fan base, and we love watching your work.”
“I wish I could come,” many others posted.
Yassin announces in the comments section that a Japanese television crew has expressed interest in filming the meetup.
Since returning to Israel at the end of February for a three-week visit, Yassin has been busy documenting Arab Israelis in his daily viral video log. He has turned the camera on up-and-comers at the Technion Institute, on his family, and on his hometown of Arraba.
The Harvard alumnus, who was working in the world of startups before he left it all behind, says there is absolutely no reason not to continue after his one-year anniversary.
“People ask when I’m gonna stop Nas Daily. I mean, look at the people, why the hell would I ever stop? I get to make videos about ideas I believe in and meet people I love,” he writes, sounding a little like Humans of New York’s Brandon Stanton.
“I quit my job to make Nas Daily. I am trying to live a richer life and document it in daily 1-minute videos,” he writes on his vlog.
He says his family is totally on board with the open house meetup. He does admit that it took a while to convince his parents that his vlog career path could work, however.
“It took 100 days to convince them that there was room in the world for me to do what I’m doing,” he tells ISRAEL21c. “I’m only going to stop when I have to.”
To support his vlogs and travels, Yassin does freelance consulting and workshops projects for whoever needs his help.
He began his Nas Daily vlog on February 9, 2016. So far, his videos have amassed 80,000,000 views and his Facebook page has nearly 500,000 likes.
The upcoming meetup on Saturday could very well up those numbers.