Ms. Rachel Says Gaza Backlash "Doesn't Faze" Her

Children's YouTube star Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, stated in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine that the backlash she has encountered for her social media posts concerning Gaza no longer significantly bothers her. While Accurso has previously commented on other political issues, including the Trump administration's deportation policies and LGBTQ activism, her statements regarding the Israel-Hamas war generated the most aggressive criticism.

Accurso admitted that the initial backlash surprised her, leading her to question the animosity. "I thought everyone hated me at one point," she told Rolling Stone. "I remember calling friends and family members, Jewish and not Jewish, and just being like, ‘Why do people hate that I don’t want kids to be killed and starved?’"

She has continued to advocate for Palestinian children in Gaza, calling on celebrities and politicians to speak out more forcefully on their behalf. Accurso stated that the criticism regarding potential loss of partnerships or viewership does not deter her. "The kids gave me the platform. I’m going to stand with them no matter what," she said. "People on the ground in Gaza are risking their lives all the time to help kids. I can do it from Manhattan."

The interview comes after Accurso accused celebrities who have remained silent on Gaza of exhibiting a racial double standard regarding their concern for children's lives. "They probably would say something if these kids were White and from a different place. Please stop being racist and risk something," she posted on Instagram. She further asserted, "Silence during a genocide is not neutral."

Accurso also joined other public figures in criticizing singer Ed Sheeran after Macklemore was removed as an opening act for his tour for repeatedly calling for a "Free Palestine" and performing his song "Hind’s Hall." Accurso argued that Sheeran had an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with those supporting Palestine but instead yielded to pressure. "If more than 20,000 White children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts," she commented. "Treating some children’s lives as less worthy of outrage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral."

Pro-Israel organizations have criticized Accurso, alleging that her posts promote anti-Israel propaganda by repeatedly accusing Israel of committing genocide. Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, stated that Accurso focuses disproportionately on the children in Gaza compared to those suffering from malnutrition elsewhere. "She claims to care about 35.5 million children suffering from acute malnutrition across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, but spends an inordinate amount of time speaking about 0.031 million children in Gaza," Menken said. "When 0.09% of starving children receive 90% of her attention, something is wrong."

Menken also noted that Accurso initially remained silent on the issue of Israeli children being held hostage, only speaking out after facing significant backlash. He concluded, "It is clear that her problem is not a deep concern for children, but that she is using her purported deep concern to mask something much darker."