Since October 7, there have been a number of Hollywood celebrities who have stood above the rest in showing their unequivocal support for Israel. The names Michael Rappaport, Brett Gelman and Debra Messing – all Jewish – get thrown around a lot in this regard, and rightly so. Likewise with non-Jewish actor Nathaniel Buzolic.
Someone who has almost flown under the radar is actress Lea Thompson, who starred in – among other things – the classic Back to the Future as Marty McFly’s mother. Her support of Israel and the Jewish people extends beyond just posting against antisemitism (something even vehemently anti-Israel people do, often in order to somehow “prove” they cannot be antisemitic):
Lea has made it clear she stands firmly with Israel and has repeated called for Hamas to release our hostages:
When I discovered Lea’s support for Israel yesterday, it did not actually surprise me. I remember covering her trip to Israel in 2013, one in which she visited terror victims, and expressed a real appreciation for Israel and her people:
While Lea is not Jewish, her husband Howard Deutch is. But don’t think she merely took on a love of Israel and the Jewish people because of him. According to a 2019 interview with her daughter Zoey:
Our mom [actress Lea Thompson] was really gung-ho about starting us in Hebrew school at an early age. When she met my dad, I think she felt very at home with [Judaism] and the Jewish community. She grew up with Christianity in the Midwest in the ’60s, and the whole idea that [Jews] are commanded to argue with God, I think, blew her mind. She just loved that. Artists are so much about challenging the norm,” Zoey’s sister Madelyn said. (“I would say she’s more Jewish than my dad,” Zoey said.)
Please join me in letting Lea know how much we appreciate her speaking out by leaving a message under one of her Instagram posts or Tweets.
