Brad Lander Hails Children’s YouTuber and ‘Antisemite of the Year’ Nominee Ms. Rachel as the ‘Mr. Rogers of Our Time’

Children’s Youtuber Ms. Rachel, whose anti-Israel advocacy earned her a nomination for “Antisemite of the Year” by a Jewish watchdog group, received lavish praise from a former New York City comptroller and congressional candidate, Brad Lander, after she donated to his campaign. Mr. Lander, a Mamdani ally running on a progressive platform to unseat incumbent Representative Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 10th Congressional District, seized on an FEC filing showing that Rachel Accurso, known online as Ms. Rachel, had given $3,500 to his campaign.“The world needs more Ms. Rachels, radiating kindness & empathy in a time of such darkness & cruelty,” Mr. Lander wrote. “She’s standing up for children everywhere and fighting for the future that every one of them deserves.” He added that he was “really proud to see this donation come in” and called the YouTuber “the Mr. Rogers of our time.”Ms. Accurso, a former New York City preschool teacher, built a massive following with educational children’s videos on topics from potty training to reading. She has become one of social media’s most recognizable children’s educators, with more than 18 million YouTube subscribers.She has also established herself as an outspoken critic of Israel and its war in Gaza, leveraging her platform as a children’s advocate to accuse Israel of inflicting unjustifiable suffering on Palestinian children. Her political commentary — focused almost exclusively on attacks against Israel — has alarmed Jewish advocacy groups, which argue she effectively serves as a Hamas propaganda conduit to millions of social media followers.Critics have accused her of amplifying Hamas’s inflated casualty figures, repeating claims that Israel indiscriminately bombs children, and dismissing charges of bias by insisting that “wanting kids to live isn’t antisemitic.” She drew further backlash after platforming a Palestinian photojournalist who had celebrated Hamas’s October 7 massacre.Ms. Accurso’s anti-Israel activism prompted the antisemitism watchdog StopAntisemitism to urge Attorney General Pam Bondi in April to investigate whether she was “being funded by a foreign party to push anti-Israel propaganda to skew public opinion.” It remains unclear whether the Justice Department opened a formal inquiry.In December, the group nominated Ms. Accurso for its annual “Antisemite of the Year” contest alongside former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Young Turks hosts Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur. The title ultimately went to Mr. Carlson.Ms. Accurso’s progressive credentials were bolstered in recent months when New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani tapped her to join his inaugural committee. She has also appeared alongside Mr. Mamdani in videos promoting free childcare initiatives.

Brad Lander Hails Children’s YouTuber and ‘Antisemite of the Year’ Nominee Ms. Rachel as the ‘Mr. Rogers of Our Time’

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