The Israel/Palestine conflict has thrown up some odd heroes and villains. Who could have predicted that one day we’d have to roll our eyes at Radiohead singer Thom Yorke’s banal ‘both-sides’ platitudes while cheering on Macklemore and Imagine Dragons? But over the last few months, one person has stood out for her bravery and commitment.
Ms. Rachel is arguably the biggest star in online children’s entertainment, with her YouTube channel boasting 15 million subscribers. Her content is beloved by parents and children alike, with her using her degrees in Music Therapy and her Master’s in Music Education to deliver catchy educational songs about colors, shapes, and animals.
Or, alternatively, if you read a recent story in the New York Times, Ms Rachel is being paid by Hamas to raise a generation of pint-sized terrorists hellbent on the destruction of the Western world. Her crime? Ms. Rachel cares about all children, and her heart is breaking as pictures of emaciated kids emerge from Gaza, victims of Israel’s artificial famine.
But if they thought they could break Ms. Rachel, she’s made of tougher stuff than they imagine. In a post on Threads, she underlined that she will always prioritize kids over herself and her career, saying:
What people don’t understand is that my career & reputation will never matter to me as much as standing up for kids. ❤️🩹What people don’t understand is that no amount of cruel name-calling or false accusations will stop me from standing up for kids. ❤️🩹What people don’t understand is that I will risk my career over & over to stand up for kids.❤️🩹What people don’t understand is that that’s why I’m Ms Rachel. ❤️🩹The kids brought me here. ❤️🩹”
View on Threads
Some day, the dust will settle on the Gaza genocide and a lot of prominent people will have to answer for the consequences of what they’ve said and done for the last few years. At this point, nobody can claim ignorance: the reality of what Israel has done to millions of innocent civilians has been blasted all over social media for months.
The right side of history
Politicians and celebrities who’ve either cheered on crimes against humanity or attempted to uselessly equivocate on what’s right and wrong will face a reckoning, and the history books won’t be kind. At this point, there is no real argument to be had: Israel is starving, bombing, and slaughtering innocent civilians as part of a genocidal ethnic cleansing campaign.
Meanwhile, those like Ms. Rachel with the bravery and resilience to endure slander, threats, and financial consequences are only going to grow in stature. Kids whose only “crime” is being born to Palestinian parents are suffering the worst of this, and we desperately need more people like Ms. Rachel willing to put their careers on the line and call out this nightmare at every opportunity. As she said:
“When it’s controversial to advocate for children that have been killed in the thousands, are blocked from food and medical care, and have become the largest cohort of amputees in modern history, we have lost our way. It’s my unwavering belief that children aren’t less valuable or less equal because of where they were born, the color of their skin, or the religion they practice.”
It’s telling that her critics don’t have a counter-argument to this – all they can do is smear her reputation and spin lies about her being funded by Hamas. We can only ire her standing firm against the storm being whipped up against her.
Published: Jun 2, 2025 02:51 am