Jonas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied Media and Professional Communications and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Pittsburgh where he obtained a Bachelor of Philosophy in both areas. A freelance journalist and photographer, Jonas has had articles and photographs published in the Egypt Daily Star, Insight Magazine (Egypt), Nox Magazine (Jordan), The New People (Pittsburgh), and TwoDay Magazine (New York). He also served as president of the University of Pittsburgh Students for Justice in Palestine from 2008 to 2010. As a Fulbright Scholar, Jonas obtained a Master of Philosophy in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. His research focused on the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) of Israel.