A prominent pro-Israel organisation, StopAntisemitism, has called on US Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether children's entertainer Ms Rachel is operating as a foreign agent after she shared sympathetic content about children suffering in Gaza. In a letter sent on Monday, the group formally requested the Department of Justice determine if Ms Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, is being paid to disseminate what it calls 'Hamas-aligned propaganda' to her millions of followers.
StopAntisemitism's director, Liora Rez, wrote that the group suspects a similar dynamic to foreign funding on college campuses is at play in the online influencer space. Ms Rachel, known for her Songs for Littles YouTube channel which has amassed over 10 billion views since 2019, has been described as a modern-day Mister Rogers. The 42-year-old former teacher, who lives in New York with her husband, recently announced the birth of her second child via surrogate.
The group specifically objects to posts in which Ms Rachel shared widely reported images of malnourished children in Gaza and cited casualty figures from Gaza's health ministry that align with UN reports. StopAntisemitism claims she has ignored the suffering of Israeli victims and hostages. When asked for evidence of foreign payments, Rez pointed to common paid collaborations by influencers, noting a 'massive barrage of anti-Israel propaganda' after 7 October.
The group is calling for an investigation under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara), which requires Americans working for foreign governments or political entities to register. However, legal experts note that invoking Fara appears misplaced, as any support for Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organisation, would fall under anti-terrorism laws. The UN has reported that thousands of children have been orphaned or separated from parents during the 15-month Gaza war, with 13,319 children among 40,717 identified bodies.
Ms Rachel did not respond to a request for comment but previously explained her advocacy began after seeing a video of a traumatised child in Gaza. 'The look in his eyes has stayed in my mind,' she told The Independent. 'No child should experience that kind of fear, shock and terror.' Last May, she raised over $50,000 for Save the Children's emergency fund for children in conflict zones, including Gaza, through a Cameo fundraiser.
