Ms. Rachel Responds To Pro-Israel Group’s Investigation Push

Children’s educator and YouTube star Ms. Rachel called out a pro-Israel group after it asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate her, accusing her of spreading “Hamas-aligned propaganda.”

“I think it’s sad to take someone’s dedication and love for all children and try and make that wrong,” Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso, told Geoff Bennett of “PBS News Hour” Wednesday. “It’s not wrong. It’s wonderful to be an advocate for all children.”

Dubbed the “modern day Mr. Rogers,” Accurso has built a massive following of parents and children through her YouTube series “Songs for Littles,” which features educational videos supporting early development. Outside of her child-oriented content, Accurso shares positive messages for parents on her TikTok page.

In April, pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism sent a letter to the Department of Justice that asked it to investigate the children’s educator, saying “her posts have largely ignored the suffering of Israeli victims, hostages, and Jewish children.”

Following the letter, Accurso doubled down on her advocacy, but called the backlash “painful.”

“Deeply caring for a group of children who are in an emergency situation, who are starving, doesn’t mean you don’t care equally about all children. That’s false,” Accurso told Bennett.

In a separate interview with Democracy Now that aired Wednesday, Accurso said the criticism has been difficult but that the “pain will never compare to the pain of not speaking out during a genocide.”

The United Nations warned late last month that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began, with experts attributing that to Israeli blockades. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied anyone is starving in Gaza.

StopAntisemitism’s letter came amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on anti-Israel criticism, which has led to several visa holders being placed in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention for expressing their views.

The group has continued to attack Accurso. In late July, it referred to one of her posts as “evil,” claiming she has “weaponized her platform to spread bias.”

Accurso told Democracy Now that she cares “so much about Jewish children and all children.”

She added, “As a mom, the most excruciating thing in the world would be being separated from your children, and I think about Israeli moms who have children still held hostage. And I just, I think about mothers all the time, everywhere, whose children don’t have what they need.”