Montana Tucker tells disbelievers of the October 7 attack to “come to Israel and see it with your own eyes,” speaking on the “All About Change” podcast on Monday.
The influencer and activist with 14 million followers on social media has been outspoken in her support for Israel and has been using her platform to spread awareness of the surging antisemitism around the world.
In the recent episode of the “All About Change” podcast hosted by Jay Ruderman, Tucker shared that she has received death threats daily due to her vocal support for Israel.
Tucker talked about her recent visits to Israel, traveling several times since the October 7 massacre. She described her visit to the site of the Nova music festival massacre — and that she is “not stopping going there, because it’s important to be there on the ground, to interview these survivors.”
“That way, okay, all this denial that you’re having, well, I’m here,” she said. “I’m actually physically here, and I’m seeing it with my own eyes. And I’ve talked to people of all religions, all races, all walks of life in Israel. And so, there’s so many misconceptions about it, and most of the people that are spreading this stuff have never been [to Israel].”
Jewish and Israel advocacy
In 2022, Tucker launched a Holocaust Remembrance series aired on TikTok called “How To: Never Forget.” Through the 10-part series on, she retraced her grandparents’ steps through Poland during the Holocaust.
Yet, following the Simchat Torah attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists, Tucker would transform her platform, being an advocate for Israel as antisemitism spread worldwide.
“Once October 7th happened, this instinct in me and this feeling inside of me, it was instant that I knew that I had to do something,” she said. “And this is my time to step up to combat antisemitism, to combat all forms of hate, and to share the truth of what’s going on and the reality, and really try to make a difference.”
In December, she visited Israel for the first time following the Oct 7, to visit communities decimated by Hamas during the massacre.
At the Grammys in February, she wore a large yellow ribbon over her dress displaying the words “Bring them home.”
In June, Tucker created a video of her performing with survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre and Lilach Friedman’s Dance Ensemble, which was filmed at the massacre site on her recent visit to Israel and quickly went viral after its release.
Receiving online hate
When asked in the podcast about the professional risk she is taking by publicly supporting Israel and sharing such messages with a massive audience, Tucker said she receives death threats daily.
“I knew it was something that I had to do, but when I did start posting, I immediately lost hundreds of thousands of followers,” she said. “And the hate I started receiving was insane. I received some hate when I did my Holocaust series, for sure. But the hate that I received, of course, for talking about Israel was on just a whole other level.”
Tucker explained that despite the hate, she has been able to lift herself up by seeing how strong Israelis have been since October 7 and before.
“I see how strong these families of hostages that still have their family members in Gaza.”
“Over the past year, I’ve met with so many different family members of hostages. I’ve met with many released hostages. I’ve now built friendships with these people that they really do feel like family to me now,” she said. “The stories will stay with me forever. Their faces will stay with me forever, but their strength and resilience I hope, is what really stays with me forever.”
In the podcast, Tucker discussed a video she had filmed on the UCLA campus of pro-Palestinian activists who refused to speak with her and blocked her from accessing their tent encampment. She explained you could see the hatred in their eyes as they laughed at her.
“They were literally laughing. This was a joke. And I just couldn’t believe it. It made me so sad to know that this younger generation, these college students who either their parents have worked so hard their whole lives to send them to college, or they’re working so hard to be in college, and this is what they’re doing with their education? And this is how they’re spending the best years of their lives, having this much hate inside of them?”
Despite the ongoing war in the Middle East, as Israel continues the battle against both Hamas and Hezbollah, Tucker remains optimistic that peace could still be a possibility.
“I think that if you are discussing this conflict and your goal isn’t peace at the end of the day, you’re on the wrong side,” she said. “I think every person should want peace.”
