A children’s YouTuber and ally of Zohran Mamdani, Ms. Rachel, is facing criticism for issuing a phony apology after liking a hateful antisemitic Instagram comment — following her endorsement of a pro-Hamas account that seemed to “blame the Jews” for the controversy.
Mayor Mamdani has been encouraged by Jewish organizations to disassociate from Ms. Rachel following the scandal, according to an antisemitism monitoring group.
The social media personality, who gained millions of young fans through her melodic voice videos, had previously acknowledged liking a comment that urged America to be “free from the Jews.” She claimed it was an innocent error.
Ms. Rachel, whose actual name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, stated on Wednesday that she had “accidentally hit like” while browsing, and that she intended to click “hide” on the comment.
However, the influencer, who was born in Maine, seemed to support another antisemitic claim made by a pro-Hamas Instagram account, which suggested that a pro-Israel or Jewish group had shared the initial antisemitic comment to ensnare her.
“Warning: They posted the comment themselves,” shared an account named thepalestinenewsnetwerk, which promotes anti-Semitic figures like Sneako and Andrew Tate.
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“Oooooo00000hhhhh,” replied Ms. Rachel.
The non-apology and additional remarks made by Ms. Rachel have drawn criticism from civil rights and Jewish organizations.
“Ms. Rachel doesn’t respond to the criticism, she cries and acts like a victim. She overlooks Jewish concerns, Jewish supporters, and dismisses antisemitism for a media opportunity,” Liora Rez, Founder and Executive Director of StopAntisemitism, said to The Post.
“Promoting biased political viewpoints and then labeling criticism as ‘bullying.’ That’s not leadership. That’s precisely why she shouldn’t be considered for a mayoral position,” Rez said.
Ms. Rachel was assigned to the committee organizing the new Mayor Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony, and also joined him at a Manhattan pre-K center earlier this week.
StopAntisemitism included Ms. Rachel on their “Antisemite of the Year” list last year due to her comments about Gaza.
The group claimed she used “Hamas-associated wording” and “exaggerated death tolls” in her regular posts on her personal social media accounts regarding the situation in Gaza.
She was discovered to have shared content regarding children in Gaza almost 50 times, in contrast to very few mentions of children from Israel or other areas affected by conflict like Ukraine or Sudan.
Ms. Rachel encountered harsh criticism on social media platforms.
“Apologizes for ‘accidentally’ liking a comment that says ‘Free America from Jews.’ Immediately comments in support of a post from a pro-Hamas account alleging that Jews set her up. Just incredible stuff,” a writer for the conservative political blog Red Statewrote on X.
Sharing a modified image of Ms. Rachel with a Hitler mustache, Israeli activist Uri Cohen joked, “I accidentally grew a mustache, by mistake,” in apost on X.
A third user on X, who identified herself as “The Persian Jewess,” similarly mocked Ms. Rachel’s assertion that she had merely made an innocent error on Instagram by liking an antisemitic comment.
The like button and the hide button are not close to each other and are clearly distinct. Even a child would easily tell the difference between a heart symbol and the word ‘hide.’ Ms. Rachel is trying to manipulate everyone’s perception.she wrote.
The event began when Ms. Rachel, who initially gained popularity through viral YouTube videos targeting young children, later became more politically active, shared an Instagram post featuring a screenshot from her Notes app that stated, “Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo, Free Iran.”
Following her mistake in the comments section, the YouTuber offered a vague apology before stating she was merely “human,” seemingly as an excuse.
“I would never support an antisemitic statement like that. We have Jewish relatives, and many of my friends are Jewish. I remove antisemitic comments,” Ms. Rachel stated.
“I want to express that it’s okay to be human and to make mistakes. I’m older, so I’m not as proficient with online interactions, I suppose. I’ve accidentally liked things before,” she added.
This is the most recent reported case of antisemitism linked to Ms. Rachel, who has over 18 million YouTube followers.
Following the attacks on October 7, 2023, when Hamas’s violent fighters killed hundreds of Israeli men, women, and children, Ms. Rachel remained notably quiet before eventually speaking up to post material opposing Israel.
Last year, she also met with former Qatari-funded individual Mehdi Hasan to discuss the situation of Palestinian children.
And Ms. Rachel’s participation in Mayor Mamdani’s inauguration committee alsogenerated revulsion among many notable Jewish residents of New York.
“She accuses Jews of false charges. She defames Jews. What a scandal,” said former CUNY trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld to The Post in December.
She also worked with terrorist supporter and Palestinian photographer, Motaz Azaiza, on Instagram.
Spokespersons for Ms. Rachel did not provide a statement when contacted on Thursday.
