Idina Menzel and Adam Sandler in “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.” Photo: Netflix

The world sits glued to our televisions and phones, flipping through the numerous news stations and constantly refreshing our social media feeds as the world continues to bear witness to Hamas’ terror and the war in Israel.

Israel prides itself on being a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. Hamas uses its civilians as pawns in its regime of state-sponsored terrorism. Hamas killed approximately 1,400 Israelis in their October 7 terror attack, kidnapped more than 200, and committed massive war crimes. Israel is responding to protect its citizens and ensure its survival. Although Israel takes every effort possible to avoid civilian causalities, some will sadly be inevitable.

As the casualties progress, two celebrity social media activism camps have taken center stage. One side is laser-focused on a ceasefire, while the other demands the safe release of all hostages.

The Artists4Ceasefire statement calls for a ceasefire and “the safe release of hostages,” while failing to acknowledge Hamas’ role and instigation of the current war. The ceasefire movement also includes what appears to be a random statement on the status of Palestinians as refugees, “and their descendants [being] forced to flee their home.” This sentence — aside from being inaccurate — appears to compare the current war in Israel to the Jewish State’s original creation (which was supported by the United Nations). This statement fails to mention that Hamas’ charter calls for the end of Israel and the death of Jews, or that Hamas states this attack has been in the works for years. There appears to be a genuine lack of accountability towards a terrorist organization, Hamas, and a  moral equivalence between the sides.

The movement #NoHostageLeftBehind mentions Hamas and their victimization of Palestinians as well as Israelis, and calls for “freedom for the hostages.” The #NoHostageLeftBehind movement does not mention a ceasefire. A logical reason for this omission is that the celebrities of this statement recognize that Israel is up against a terrorist organization, and that to ensure a genuine end to this Israel-Hamas war and a better future for the Palestinians, Hamas must be defeated. The statement details the brutal slaughter on October 7, and recognizes Hamas for the terrorist organization it is. The celebrities who signed the statement are now facing intense backlash. Jordan Peele started trending on X (formerly known as Twitter).

When war breaks out in Israel, there is always a flood of condemnations and calls from celebrities to oppose the Jewish State. Stars are powerful and influential in society. Famous voices are a persuasive tool, especially in heightened global chaos. To see two different groups of celebrities sign statements with apparent prioritization and rhetoric almost makes one wonder why one or the other resonates with each signee. For me, I’m glad that this time, so many are supporting the human rights of Israelis. You can read the full list of signees of the #NoHostageLeftBehind movement here.

Linzee Zalta currently works at a Jewish non-profit and holds her bachelor’s degree in Sociology.