Jerry Seinfeld lends support to families of Hamas hostages, missing persons

World-renowned Jewish-American comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his family arrived in Israel on Monday to lend their support to the families of hostages and missing persons, according to a press release from The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum Headquarters.

Seinfeld joins other Hollywood stars who have come to Israel to express solidarity with the nation following the horrific massacre of October 7, such as actor Michael Rapaport, Nickelodeon actor and singer James Maslow, actress Debra Messing, and producer Scooter Braun.

The emotional meeting took place at the forum's headquarters, where Seinfeld and his family met with representatives of the affected families and recently released hostages who had been held in Hamas captivity.

Last night, acclaimed comedian Jerry Seinfeld landed in Israel.Upon his arrival, Seinfeld and his family came to the families' headquarters for an emotional meeting with representatives of the families of the hostages as well as hostages who returned from Hamas captivity.… pic.twitter.com/7wyrM9baV4

— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) December 19, 2023

Seinfeld, famous for his humor and wit, demonstrated his commitment to raising global awareness about the dire situation faced by the hostages, whose lives are hanging in the balance.

Listening to the harrowing stories of the affected families and the returned hostages, Seinfeld and his family were visibly moved and deeply affected by the experiences shared during the meeting.

The families' headquarters expressed their gratitude for the Seinfeld family's touching visit. 

"We thank the Seinfeld family for their moving visit to the families' headquarters and their unwavering support for the families of the hostages," they said in the press release. "We are confident that their support will be a significant and important step in our shared mission to bring about the immediate and safe return home of all the hostages."

Seinfeld's love and support for Israel

A few days after the October 7 massacre, Seinfeld joined the outpouring of solidarity with Israel by posting a message of support on his Instagram account, which has 1.4 million followers.

“I lived and worked on a kibbutz in Israel when I was 16, and I have loved our Jewish homeland ever since,” Seinfeld wrote on October 10. “My heart is breaking from these attacks and atrocities. But we are also very strong people in our hearts and minds. We believe in justice, freedom, and equality. We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”

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A post shared by Jerry Seinfeld (@jerryseinfeld)

The message was posted with a photo of a woman draped in an Israeli flag with the slogan: “I stand with Israel,” taken from the Israeli advocacy organization Stand With Us.

Walla contributed to this article.