“Friends” star David Schwimmer marked the one-month anniversary of Hamas’ horrific October 7 attacks on Israeli civilians with a somber post to his Instagram story.
Schwimmer, who is Jewish, posted a photo of one lone candle with only the flame lit up against a black backdrop.
“One month ago today over 1,400 men, women, and children were massacred by Hamas in their homes, in the streets, and at a Music Festival. #OCT7MASSACRE. Over 240 people, including babies and the elderly, are still being held hostage,” the caption read.
Schwimmer spoke out about the October 7 terror attacks in an earlier post as well, condemning Hamas and saying, as many others had, that it was the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
“Saturday was the largest mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust,” he wrote at the time. “The rape, torture, kidnapping, and killing of so many Israeli civilians — including children, the elderly, and infants — is an atrocity. Any attempt to rationalize or justify this genocide, let alone celebrate it, is indefensible and anti-Semitic.”
View this post on Instagram
“Hamas is a terrorist organization whose stated mission is the extermination of the Jews,” Schwimmer continued, saying that while he understood that some people disagreed with Israeli policy — and he agreed that they had a right to do so — it was possible to mourn the for the innocent children in Gaza while still condemning Hamas and its efforts to wipe out the Israeli state and the Jewish people.
“I grieve for all the innocent lives lost, their partners, families, and friends, and pray for those who are still missing,” Schwimmer concluded.
He also warned about a year ago about the rise of anti-Semitism globally — in the context of some remarks made by Kanye West — and called on people to be more aware and call it out wherever they saw it.
View this post on Instagram
“Anti-semitism is on the rise globally. Jews make up only 2.4% of the population of the United States but are the victims of more than 60% of all religious hate crimes,” he said, citing the FBI’s annual report on hate crimes.
“If we don’t call someone as influential as Kanye out for his divisive, ignorant and anti-semitic words then we are complicit. Silence is complicity,” he said.