Ms Rachel says backlash over her Gaza posts 'doesn't faze' her as she calls out celebrity silence

Child‑focused YouTuber Ms. Rachel Faces Backlash Over Gaza‑Related Posts, Says She Is “Not Fazed”

By Maine News Now
Sept. 2024

Rachel Griffin Accurso, better known on YouTube as “Ms. Rachel,” a popular children’s‑centric content creator, said on Tuesday that the criticism she has received for her recent social‑media posts about the Israel‑Hamas war “doesn’t faze” her. The 32‑year‑old, who has built a multi‑million‑subscriber channel that teaches songs and preschool lessons, has become a vocal advocate for Palestinian children in Gaza, a stance that has drawn sharp rebuttals from pro‑Israel groups and some of her followers.

Accurso told Rolling Stone that the backlash surprised her at first. “I thought everyone hated me at one point,” she said. “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 previously used her platform to address other political subjects, including Trump‑era deportation policies and LGBTQ rights. However, her Gaza‑focused posts have attracted the most “aggressive criticism,” according to the magazine. In her statements, Accurso emphasized that she will continue to stand with the children in Gaza, despite threats of lost partnerships and decreased views. “You’re gonna lose this partnership. You’re gonna lose views.” “That doesn’t faze me because 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.”

Accurso also accused many public figures who have remained silent about the conflict of “racial double standards.” She posted on Instagram that if the children were “white and from a different place,” they would “probably would say something.” “Please stop being racist and risk something,” she urged.

The YouTuber’s comments came after she joined a group of progressive activists who criticized singer Ed Sheeran for his refusal to speak out about Gaza. Accurso wrote that Sheeran’s silence was a “genocide” in itself: “If more than 20,000 White children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts. Treating some children’s lives as less worthy of outrage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral.”

Accurso’s remarks have provoked a response from the Coalition for Jewish Values, a pro‑Israel advocacy group. Rabbi Yaakov Menken, the organization’s executive vice president, called her posts “anti‑Israel propaganda” and accused her of “dressing up Jew‑hatred as a righteous cause.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Menken said, “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.” He went on to say, “When 0.09% of starving children receive 90% of her attention, something is wrong. She had nothing to say about Israeli children being held hostage until seven months later, when the backlash became too loud to ignore. 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.”

Accurso has yet to respond to the criticism from the Coalition for Jewish Values. Fox News Digital reached out for comment but has not received a reply.

The controversy underscores the growing polarization among social‑media influencers on the Israel‑Hamas conflict. While some creators, like Accurso, use their platforms to highlight humanitarian concerns in Gaza, others have faced backlash for labeling Israel’s actions as “genocide,” a charge that has been widely denounced by pro‑Israel groups.

In the days since the Rolling Stone interview, Accurso remains steadfast. “I’m going to stand with them no matter what,” she repeated. “If more than 20,000 White children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts. Treating some children’s lives as less worthy of outrage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral.” Whether the backlash will dampen her advocacy remains to be seen, but for now, Accurso says she is prepared to continue speaking out—whether from her home in Manhattan or wherever her message reaches.