Israel has been embroiled in quite a few military conflicts since its establishment 75 years ago. In most cases it always emerged victorious. But maybe it was due to the fact that Israel only had to wage its battles on the actual battlefield.
In the age of social media, however, Israel is forced to wage information wars alongside real-life fighting. On social media, those expressing a position that favors Israel are often bombarded with pro-Palestinian messaging, forcing some to make appeasing political statements in order to get the angry mob off their backs.
Despite this, there are still quite a few influencers who try to bring the Israeli point of view to the masses. What’s more amazing is some of these advocates were apolitical before, while others are not even Jewish.
To prove that support sometimes comes from the most unusual places, here is a list of the most unexpected pro-Israel advocates.
Nathaniel Buzolic
The Australian-born heartthrob is known to mainstream audiences thanks to his role in the American television show “The Vampire Diaries.”
Buzolic calls himself a “born-again Christian” and was documenting his religious journey on Instagram, where he boasts 3.4 million followers. He has been in Israel over 20 times, visiting Christian holy sites.
No one, however, expected the actor to become Israel’s most vocal social-media advocate since the Hamas attack on October 7.
His feed is filled with posts debunking anti-Israel propaganda, a complete 180 from Buzolic’s regular content. The actor personally arrived in Israel over a week ago in an effort to document the events unfolding from up close.
Amy Schumer
This actress and veteran standup comic has never been shy of dipping her toes in politics. She endorsed various Democratic political candidates throughout the years, and showed support for a host of social causes.
The 42-year-old comedian, however, never openly spoke out in favor of Israel.
Born in New York to Jewish parents, Schumer says she encountered antisemitism as a child and hasn’t been to a synagogue since her bat mitzvah.
Since October 7, in an unexpected turn of events, Schumer has been consistently flooding her social-media feed demanding release of the 240 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and highlighting atrocities committed by Hamas.
Schumer admitted she lost “so many friends” over her stance, but added, “I’m a proud Jewish woman and have every right to be. Head high. Spirits high. Love to my fellow brothers and sisters.”
Douglas Murray
The British author and political commentator has published a host of political commentary books, some of which have become bestsellers in both the UK and the US.
He has never focused his writing on Jews or Israel, but since the October 7 attacks, Murray has been one of the most vocal defenders of the Jewish state as well as the Jewish community.
Murray has so far written several opinion pieces in various publications and appeared on a host of podcasts, explaining his defense of Israel.
The University of Oxford graduate, who is openly gay, has emphasized the hypocrisy of LGBTQ groups that justify the actions of Hamas — which opposes homosexuality. He also called Israel “the only country in the world that isn’t allowed to win a war.”
Eve Barlow
A Los Angeles-based journalist, Barlow spent years writing about the music world in her native Britain. She previously served as deputy editor of the New Musical Express (NME), one of the UK’s top music publications.
Barlow says her career came to a screeching halt when she “came out” as a Jewish Zionist a few years ago. Her Israel advocacy essentially forced the writer to switch careers after being blacklisted by culture publications in Britain.
Since then, Barlow has focused her work on fighting antisemitism. Her advocacy has led to widespread online abuse, with trolls creating a Twitter hashtag “Eve Fartlow” and causing it to go viral.
Barlow continues to advocate for Israel and the Jewish community, and has been very vocal on her social media since the start of the latest war.
Colonel Richard Kemp
The retired British Army officer served in Northern Ireland in the ’80s, The Gulf War in the ’90s and Afghanistan in the early 2000s. He is well familiar with military operations and was even appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Kemp first publicly came in defense of Israel in 2014, criticizing the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry Report on Gaza following Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
Since then he has consistently backed Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling the IDF “the world’s most moral army.” Kemp is one of UK’s most impassioned advocates of the IDF, and received an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University in 2015.
Dr. Sheila Nazarian
The Iranian-American plastic surgeon is best known for her appearance on Netflix reality television series Skin Decision: Before and After.
Nazarian, who is Jewish, was smuggled out of Iran along with her mother following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
She is an outspoken Israel advocate and activist against antisemitism. She made her advocacy public in 2021, during Israel’s 10-day operation against the Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
Nazarian has a private practice, Nazarian Plastic Surgery, and a medical spa company, Spa 26. Anti-Israel activists flood her Google review page with negative feedback. But this has not stopped the doctor from advocating for the Jewish state. She has been very vocal on her social media since the October 7 attacks.
Daniel-Ryan Spaulding
The openly gay world-traveling comedian went viral on social media at the start of the current war after posting a short video lampooning the LGBTQ community for siding with Hamas.
Since then his social media has grown remarkably, with the comic joking that all he had to do was “say that terrorism is bad.”
Spaulding hasn’t made his social media a bastion of Israel advocacy, focusing mostly on light-hearted content and his off-Broadway show.
But he continues posting messages of support for the Jewish community.
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