Why Is Everyone Talking About Ms. Rachel Right Now?

Since then, Accurso has continued to post support for both Palestinian and Israeli children and doubled down on her view that it shouldn’t be controversial to want to help children in distress, regardless of their background.

Still, last month, the organization Stop Antisemitism accused her of spreading “Hamas propaganda,” claimed she only posted about Israeli children because of backlash, and questioned whether or not she was being funded for her post. Accurso told the New York Times, “This accusation is not only absurd, it’s patently false.”

She did not dispute that she has posted more frequently about Gazan children, but said, “The painful reality is that Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by the thousands and continue to be killed, maimed, and starved right now. The idea that caring about one group of children prevents us from caring about another group of children is false.”

“The reason I post about Israeli children is because I care deeply about them,” she continued. “The accusation that I would be doing it for any other reason is outrageous and wrong.”

Has Ms. Rachel responded to all of this?

Oh yes, multiple times. In addition to the aforementioned New York Times interview and social media posts, Accurso spoke with journalist Mehdi Hasan for his independent publication Zeteo. “It’s sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering,” she said. “The idea that caring for a group of children in an emergency situation means you don’t care about other children is false.”

Why should I care?

There’s no denying that Ms. Rachel has clout. So whenever she shares her opinion on something, especially if it’s as divisive as the war in Gaza, people will pay attention. And somebody as influential as she is with children, in particular, will always be treated with more scrutiny for better or for worse.

It’s natural to want the people your child looks up to be aligned with your own moral code. We can’t guarantee that their teachers (or even their own grandparents) vote the same way we do, as much as we might want to. The one thing we do have some control over is the media they consume. So yeah, who Ms. Rachel is to you—a hero, a villain, or something in between—probably will inform how much “Icky Sticky Bubble Gum” you’ll be listening to in the future.

“I’ve been blessed to get this platform,” Accurso told Hasan. “And kids feel that I care about them all deeply, and that’s why I have the platform. Because they feel it through the screen, because it’s genuine.”