Jewish American celebrities are being criticized online after sharing controversial posts of support for Israel and the Israeli government’s policies, which pro-Palestinian activists and advocates have decried as a violation of human rights.
Sarah Silverman, a comedian best known for her work on Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central, has been called out for sharing a post online that supported the limitation of resources like water and electricity to Gaza.
Silverman shared a post by user @elianaeatz on her Instagram story. The post states: “Many are saying that it’s inhumane that Israel is cutting off water/ electricity to Gaza. Israel made it pretty simple – ‘release the hostages and we will turn it back on.’ Instead of pleading with Hamas to release CIVILIAN hostages which include BABIES and TODDLERS there are politicians (cough cough AOC) calling Israel inhumane.”
The post continued, “If Hamas didn’t spend billions of dollars on terrorism they would be able to build the infrastructure to support themselves.”
The comedian has since removed the post from her Instagram account, claiming that she was “stoned” when she reposted it.
However, that didn’t stop the spread of the screenshot of the now-deleted repost on various social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter).
we’ve officially reached the “they actually don’t deserve water and electricity” moment in mainstream discourse pic.twitter.com/xDh9Xo4p2H
— keyvan (@still_oppressed) October 19, 2023
User @still_oppresssed uploaded the screenshot on X, commenting: “we’ve officially reached the ‘they actually don’t deserve water and electricity’ moment in mainstream discourse,”
Another user commented, “You support war crimes,” tagging Silverman in his reply.
But Silverman isn’t the only Jewish American celebrity who caught flack for her posts about the conflict. Amy Schumer has faced similar criticisms from fans and activists alike after her repost of an image posted by @livingjewishly that commented on the response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas.
The image reads, “FIRST THEY CAME FOR LGBTQ AND I STOOD UP, BECAUSE LOVE IS LOVE. THEN THEY CAME FOR IMMIGRANTS AND I STOOD UP, BECAUSE FAMILIES BELONG TOGETHER. THEN THEY CAME FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND I STOOD UP, BECAUSE BLACK LIVES MATTER. THEN THEY CAME FOR ME, BUT I STOOD ALONE, BECAUSE I AM A JEW”
This shit is insane! INSANE!!!!! pic.twitter.com/1nmxRRtIhD
— gianmarco (@GianmarcoSoresi) October 14, 2023
“What about when they came for the Palestinians, Amy?” one user on X commented.
“The whole west is standing beside Israel. What a self-centered take,” a second commenter added.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has once again flared up, after the terrorist attack on Oct. 7 perpetrated by Hamas, resulting in more than 1,400 civilian deaths and hundreds of civilians being taken as hostages.
In response, the Israeli government has declared war and intensified its bombing campaign in Gaza, in preparation for a ground assault on the region. According to the Gaza health ministry, “at least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and 12,493 wounded” since Oct. 7.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Sarah Silverman via Instagram direct messages and to Amy Schumer’s publicist via email for comment.