While "The Vampire Diaries" star Nate Buzulik spent the past month in Israel campaigning intensively, returning to his native Australia on Wednesday, leaving behind his new partner Lia Noga, Brett Gelman, star of "Stranger Things" and "Fleabag" who is also an ardent supporter of Israel, landed in Israel earlier this week – and also joined our campaign around the world.
"As always, it's an honor to be here," Gelman, 47, who arrived in Israel with his fiancée, singer Ari Dayan, said in a story posted on his Instagram account, where he has 943,<> followers, which he photographed from Ben Gurion Airport. "We'll keep you updated on our trip, everyone we talk to – and let's all learn together."
Brett Gelman alongside Winona Ryder in Stranger Things, photo: IMDB
Gelman, a Jew, who plays Murray Bowman in the hit Netflix series, is a prominent and enthusiastic pro-Israel voice that has been sharing hasbara content since the outbreak of the Iron Sword War, and is not afraid to express his opinion even and despite the harsh attacks he has experienced, including anti-Semitic reactions and the abandonment of "friends" who seek to distance themselves from him because of his support for Israel. As part of his advocacy efforts, Gelman participated in the huge pro-Israel rally held on Capitol Hill in Washington, watched the horror film at a screening organized by Gal Gadot, and signed a celeb letter to TikTok in which they spoke out against the fact that the platform is not doing enough to combat rising anti-Semitism.
"If you don't support the people of Israel, you don't support humanity," he wrote alongside a video he posted Thursday night in which he complimented the resilience and unity of Israel's citizens. "The people here are amazing. What unity they show when they have zero support from the world and their government," he said, adding: "Hamas are evil."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Brett Gelman (@brettgelman)
"Pre-addicted game"
Gelman isn't the only Stranger Things star to express his open and enthusiastic support for Israel, as is Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Bayers in the series. Since the outbreak of the war, he has shared many pro-Israel content, and even published a long and poignant story in which he declared his unequivocal support for Israel, while taking a firm stand against Hamas. Since then, he has become a target among pro-Palestinians, who have called for his boycott in the entertainment industry and not to watch the show's fifth season, which is expected to premiere next year, along with harsh personal and anti-Semitic invective.
Two weeks ago, 19-year-old Schnapp, who visited Israel earlier this year, was filmed hanging out with friends handing out stickers that read "Zionism is Sexy" and "Hamas is ISIS"
Schnapp (right) from Stranger Things, photo: courtesy of Netflix Israel
This week, after entering Forbes magazine's prestigious "30 Under 30" list, which features the most promising young people in entertainment (alongside names such as Kendall Jenner and Jenna Ortega, who, unlike Schnapp, has expressed support for the Palestinian side), he once again received a flood of backlash against him.
"That grade lover on the list? Let's rewrite it," wrote one. Another tweeted: "This is a pre-rigged game." Another wrote: "There's no reason for him to be on this list, when apart from Stranger Things he hasn't really done anything."
One of the tweets against Schnapp:
putting noah schnapp on the same list as all of these beloved and extremely talented actors is laughable https://t.co/YhM2OfYwsl
— bethany (@fiImgal) November 28, 2023 Were we wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us