JNS
From Debra Messing to Jerry Seinfeld, TV stars, influencers and others have been visiting the Jewish state to show solidarity.
Since Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre, celebrities, influencers and supporters have paid solidarity visits to the Jewish state even as its war against the terrorist group rages on.
This week, American actress Debra Messing, best known for her starring role in “Will & Grace,” toured Kibbutz Kfar Aza, visited Israel Defense Forces soldiers on the frontlines, walked through a Hamas tunnel and met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
In November, Messing addressed the "March for Israel" gathering in Washington, D.C., where she called for the release of all the hostages being held captive in the Gaza Strip. She also called for “the safety of the 2.2 million Gazans also held hostage by Hamas.”
Messing made waves on social media when she joined Broadway community members in singing a rendition of "Bring Him Home" from Les Misérables, which garnered over 400,000 views on YouTube.
Since landing in Israel on Dec. 12, American actor Michael Rapaport, best known for playing Gary in "Friends," appeared in a skit on the satirical show "Eretz Nehederet" that mocked U.S. university administrators for their failure to confront antisemitism on campus.
Rapaport visited Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza, both of which were devastated during Hamas's Oct. 7 invasion, and met with IDF soldiers.
Last week, Rapaport, who has emerged as a major pro-Israel voice, spoke at rally at Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square."
“There is no excuse for what happened on Oct. 7. There is no rationalizing what happened on Oct. 7, 129 hostages [still held in Gaza] need to be freed by any means necessary. Let my people go,” Rapaport told the crowd.
On Dec. 18, comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his family also arrived in Israel.
The global icon visited the headquarters of the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum in Tel Aviv, toured ransacked Kibbutz Be’eri along the Gaza border and met with survivors of Hamas's slaughter.
In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, Seinfeld had expressed support for the Jewish state, while noting he had worked on a kibbutz as a teen.
“My heart is breaking from these attacks and atrocities," wrote Seinfeld on Instagram. "But we are also a very strong people in our hearts and minds. We believe in justice, freedom and equality. We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people."
Ivanka Trump, daughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, and her husband Jarred Kushner also converged on Israel, touring Kibbutz Kfar Aza while accompanied by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
The couple met with survivors of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, soldiers and first responders. Trump and Kushner also met with Herzog and representatives of the families of hostages.
Lead character in the Netflix series “My Unorthodox Life” Julia Haart was also recently photographed touring Kibbutz Be’eri with her son Shlomo and her daughter Miriam.
During her trip, Haart met with Yarden Tzemach, whose brother Shachar was killed on Oct. 7. She also met Ella Ben Ami, whose parents were both kidnapped by Hamas into Gaza and whose father, Ohad, remains a captive.
Haart also visited with the family of Omer Wenkert, who was taken hostage at the Supernova Music Festival on Oct. 7.
Last week, singer and social media influencer Montana Tucker also landed in Israel. She visited Kfar Aza, where 56 people were massacred by Hamas and some 20 others taken captive to Gaza.
Tucker participated in a flash mob with Noam Ben David, one of the survivors of the Supernova Music Festival, who was forced to play dead for hours among bodies before being rescued.
Tucker met with 17-year-old Mia Leimberg, a captive who was released along with her dog Bella as part of last month's ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas.
After Oct. 7, Tucker attended the United Nations Special Session on Sexual Violence Against Israelis, at which she sang the Jewish state's national anthem, “Hatikva,” and also delivered a speech at the D.C. mega-rally.
“These lies are spreading again. The violence is rising again. The threat is real again," said Tucker at the mass demonstration. "They can stay silent. They can let the lies spread. They can let it all happen again. Or they can stand up and together on behalf of Jews in Israel and around the world who no longer feel safe at school, at work and especially online,” she added.
Music executive Scooter Braun, known for managing Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Kanye West and Taylor Swift, arrived in Israel on Dec. 18, on the same flight as Seinfeld.
Braun also met with the families of the hostages, toured Kibbutz Be’eri and spoke at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night.
“I had to come to Israel. I had to come to stand with my people," said Braun. "When I got here, I did not find a country that was filled with hate or anger. I found a nation of lions filled with hope and courage and kindness, and it let me know that the hostages will come home. And they need to come home now,” he said.
