American-Jewish actress Joey King, known for her roles in "The Kissing Booth" series, doesn't shy away from acknowledging her Jewish heritage. She often shares about various Jewish holidays on her social media profiles and even visited Israel last summer with her Israeli friends, including Amit Rahav, Lior Ashkenazi, Hadas Yaron, and Michael Aloni. On Saturday, she addressed the ongoing conflict in Israel and the antisemitism prevalent in the world.
"The word 'pogrom' wasn't meant to exist in Hebrew," shared the actress in a post to her 19 million followers. "In the new Israel, the very idea that Jews are being slaughtered in masses, their children are being butchered before their eyes, was supposed to be confined to the realm of bitter memory. Only in Eastern Europe during the exile were Jews required to escape from the imminent dangers of being killed. The moment they had their own state where they could finally defend themselves, there was no need to talk about pogroms anymore, only in history books."
King emphasizes that the effects of the war in Israel are not limited to Israel or the Middle East but are felt wherever Jews live: "Not everyone, but most Jews are connected to these events: perhaps it's a friend of a friend who was among the 260 murdered at the music festival, a wife's cousin in one of the kibbutzim, a long-time colleague whose elderly parents are now hostages. The Jewish nation is small, only 16 million worldwide."
The actress shares about the rise of anti-Semitism in the UK, which has quadrupled in the immediate days following the outbreak of the war, compared to the parallel period last year: "There was a need to increase security outside synagogues, in Jewish schools, and at events. At the Jewish school in North London, children were told they didn't need to wear their uniforms when going out: Jewish symbols on their clothing might cause them trouble. Three Jewish schools in London closed as a precaution, and others practice 'evacuations': teachers try to turn it into a game for the younger children; five-year-olds were told to listen for the whistle, run to the classroom, and stay quiet—the quietest class wins."
"You can watch the weekend footage of Hamas-supporting protesters in Sydney or street gatherings and social media posts filled with praises for the murderers and rapists of Hamas – celebrating the massacre as something 'beautiful and inspiring,' that is to be celebrated" says the actress to her followers. "Maybe you want to tell yourselves that these were expressions of anger at Israel's subsequent response, but the chronology tells a different story: these demonstrations were organized before Israel responded significantly. The sad truth is that it was rejoicing over the deaths of Israelis. It was reveling in the death of Jews."
King refers to the controversial reactions of many celebrities who call for support for both Israelis and Palestinians, criticizing them for not showing empathy toward the murderous events that took place in Israel: "Celebrities who have expressed their opinions in the past have suddenly found themselves quiet or have posted condolences of 'All Lives Matter' with a refusal to mourn Israeli citizens in particular. The request by Jewish community leaders that called on the BBC to refer to Hamas terrorists as they call other murderers – terrorists – was partly driven by an emotional need for the lives of Jews to be as important as anyone else's."
The actress further writes in her post that she believes these people do not express support for the Israelis who were killed and kidnapped because they are concerned that doing so would diminish their support for the Palestinians. She explains that there is a difference between the civilians in Gaza and the Hamas militants: "Hamas does not represent Palestinian interests; they are a curse to them. With a well-entrenched belief, never revoked, steeped in explicit anti-Semitic hatred dating back to the Middle Ages, it has become a force akin to ISIS, with blood-curdling cruelty that brings disaster to its own people – a disaster that threatens to become even more destructive now.
"It's not that difficult. You can condemn Hamas and call its actions evil, even when you support the Palestinians in their quest for free lives, free from occupation and oppression," writes the actress. However, she emphasizes that despite that, "there still needs to be a place in your hearts for the Jewish child whose final moments were filled with unimaginable terror – the terror that his grandfather and grandmother believed they had escaped forever."