Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Star, Rachel Zegler, Under Fire for Egging On Antisemitic Attacks on Israeli Co-Star, Gal Gadot

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the (un)fairest of them all? A Hollywood actress, Rachel Zegler, is coming under fire for social media comments that may be egging on the antisemitic backlash to her new film, “Snow White” — which faces calls for a boycott over its casting of an Israeli movie star, Gal Gadot — by telling her fans to “always remember, free palestine.” Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler at Anaheim Convention Center at Anaheim, California, on September 9, 2022. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for DisneyHer pro-Palestinian comment on X was tacked on to a post in which she thanked her fans “for the love and for 120m views on our trailer in just 24 hours,” and comes just after the trailer for Disney’s much-anticipated live action reimagination of “Snow White” was released. The “West Side Story” star’s comment quickly racked up tens of thousands of comments and reposts, with many commenters calling out her post as an inherent denunciation of her Israeli co-star, Gal Gadot, who plays the Wicked Queen. As a major Hollywood star who’s unabashed in her public support of Israel, Ms. Gadot has faced antisemitic attacks online in the days following the trailer’s release. While some of the commenters voiced their support for Ms. Zegler’s pro-Palestinian message, her post was overwhelmingly flooded with criticism and support for Ms. Gadot. One pro-Israel humor account, which goes by the handle @TheMossadIL and boasts more than a half a million followers on X, quipped: “You playing dopey?” It was a reference to the beloved dwarf from the original 1937 film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” “What a sad petty and ignorant person you are,” an Israeli journalist, Emily Schrader, added, in a comment that has received 7,000 likes and counting. Others were quick to point out the irony in that the young actress got her big break when famed director Stephen Spielberg — who is both Jewish and a Zionist — selected her to star in his blockbuster remake of “West Side Story.” Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot at Anaheim Convention Center, September 9, 2022. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney“@rachelzegler got her big break thanks to Stephen Spielberg casting her in West Side Story. She’s getting her second big break in Disney’s Snow White thanks to Gal Gadot’s star power,” a political influencer, the Persian Jewess, wrote in a post on X. “First she uses Jewish clout to build her career, then she uses Jew Hate to build her fan base. And always remember, Free the Hostages,” she added. A Jewish advocacy group, StopAntisemism, in a message on X called out Ms. Zegler for “defending antisemitic threats against her Jewish co-star”: “Instead of supporting Gadot, Zegler chose to side with the threats, declaring ‘Free Palestine,’” the organization wrote. Followers of the Israeli actress were quick to reckon that she addressed the controversy with a quote she shared on her Instagram from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Above it, Ms. Gadot wrote the line, “Only love can truly save the world,” followed by her signature in Hebrew. StopAntisemitism voiced praise for Ms. Gadot’s apparent response: “Thankfully, Gadot responded with grace and class, proving who the true heroine is,” the organization wrote on X. This is not the first time that Ms. Zegler has voiced her opinions on the war in the Middle East. In January, a few months after Hamas’s attack on Israel, Ms. Zegler called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, though she added no mention of releasing the Israeli hostages. Even before the war, back in 2021, she posted on X: “it will always be free palestine.” Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler at Anaheim, California, on August 9. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for DisneyOn the other hand, Ms. Gadot, an Israeli citizen and former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, has been outspoken in standing with Israel and calling for the release of the hostages. Ms. Gadot even helped to facilitate a Los Angeles screening of a graphic 47-minute video showing Hamas’s atrocities on October 7.

Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Star, Rachel Zegler, Under Fire for Egging On Antisemitic Attacks on Israeli Co-Star, Gal Gadot

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