Charisma Carpenter's Israel Statement Sparks Outrage

Charisma Carpenter has caused controversy on social media with her post about Israeli-French hostage Mia Schem.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star shared a reel of images. The first photograph appears to show a Holocaust survivor's arm, inked with an "Auschwitz tattoo"—the name given to the numbers tattooed on prisoners' arms at the concentration camp.

Photoshopped onto the man's arm are the words "It depends on the context." The quote is a reference to University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who uttered the line during the December 5 House hearing on campus antisemitism.

The second shows the forearm of Schem, who was taken captive on October 7 during Hamas' attack on southern Israel. The tattoo artist was one of eight hostages released on November 30, as part of a four-day truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.

The 21-year-old from Shoham, Israel, has since gotten a tattoo on her forearm that reads: "We will dance again," along with "7.10.23."—marking the beginning of the conflict and her 55 days in captivity.

"Never Again Is Now," Carpenter captioned the reel. She also included the hashtags "#Harvard," "#Penn" and "#MIT," calling out college presidents Claudine Gay and Sally Kornbluth, who also attended last week's congressional hearing. The trio was accused of not doing enough to stamp out antisemitism on school grounds, with Magill since resigning from her position due to the criticism.

Newsweek has reached out to Carpenter for comment via email.

Some 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack, with another 240 taken hostage, according to numbers from Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently vowed to "demolish Hamas," firing airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Supplies of food, fuel, energy and medicine into the territory were suspended, with a ground offensive launched on October 27.

As of December 12, more than 17,700 people have been killed in Gaza, while approximately 90 percent of the area's population has been displaced, according to numbers from Reuters. The conflict—which has a long and complicated history—has caused a deep divide, with a number of celebrities facing backlash for commenting on the topic.

'I Have No Words To Describe the Disappointment'

Carpenter's post split opinion among her 352,000 Instagram followers, with some calling the message "tone deaf" and "ignorant."

"Your blind support of one side in this horrid conflict is outrageous," said riddles_photos.

"I have no words to describe the disappointment I feel at someone I found previously to be rigorously ethical and moral," wrote potatocoquette.

"I thought better of u," said wordtrav.

"This post is really lacking in the nuance that's needed here," commented panelsandprose. "Israel is committing an active genocide."

However, others applauded Carpenter's support of Israel and Schem, with nicoledaiter calling the star "an amazing human being."

"It's rare now a days for people to stand up for those that were brutally attacked on Oct 7," she added.

"You are swimming against the stream with this message, and you are doing it to offer hope and support to people who very much need it right now," said icemankazansky.

"Charisma has done nothing wrong," wrote mmacmull. "Acknowledging the holocaust and current genocidal attempts and rhetoric against the Jewish people doesn't diminish the suffering of Palestinians."

This isn't the first time Carpenter has discussed the Israel-Hamas war on social media. The 53-year-old shared a lengthy statement to Instagram on October 24, with the words written by a friend "whose family suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime."

"Israel Jews are not political abstractions," the post read. "They are human beings, descendants of refugees who fled violent persecution and genocide, diverse members of a complex society with complex political and geopolitical dynamics.

"Refusing to condemn violence against them because of an ostensible political disagreement with their government is dehumanizing in the extreme."

Carpenter isn't the only famous face to cause uproar by supporting Israel. Jewish American comedian Amy Schumer has faced cancelation calls after sharing a meme that suggested Gazans were rapists, while Israeli actress Gal Gadot was slammed after reportedly helping to organize a screening of Bearing Witness—an Israeli Defence Forces film created using footage from the October 7 attacks.

Some fans have also threatened to boycott Stranger Things, after star Noah Schnapp—who plays Will Byers—posted a video featuring a sticker that read: "Zionism is sexy."

Pro-Palestinian celebrities have also come under fire. Oscar winner Susan Sarandon was dropped by her agency in November, after claiming that Jewish people "are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country" at a Free Palestine rally.

Last month, Scream actress Melissa Barrera was cut from the franchise after accusing Israel of genocide on social media, while actor John Cusack claimed he was "shadow-banned" by X—the social network formerly known as Twitter—for speaking out in support of civilians in Gaza.