Digital creator Montana Tucker has a beef with her fellow “influencers.”
“What drives me crazy,” Tucker says, “Is someone who has influence but isn’t using it for good. What’s the point?”
‘Major actors, major musicians came up to me or messaged me, “Thank you for what you’re doing.” Yet they don’t post or speak out publicly.’
It’s why she wanted to do something to share with her 14 million-strong social media flock following Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel.
“If I don’t use it for what I believe in … what is the point of having the influence?” she asked herself at the time.
But how?
Getting creative
She worried her background in dance, music, and acting didn’t align with the hostages’ plight. Then she got creative. She created a series of videos to highlight the hostages’ plight, drawing international attention along the way.
One video invited survivors of the Nova music festival attack to dance with her, highlighting their perseverance in the face of the ghastly attack. The clip reportedly generated more than 10 million views.
“When we did that Nova video, it had a big impact,” she says. “Art is something you can really portray a message with and reach a different audience.”
Tucker even walked the Grammy’s red carpet in February wearing a yellow ribbon-themed dress to remind people about the remaining hostages. The evening’s presenters missed the cue and didn’t bring the subject up on stage. Neither did the A-listers who attended other awards galas like the Emmys and the Oscars.
That hardly stopped Tucker, who has teamed with the Combat Antisemitism Movement, to flex her social media might for the cause.
‘I’m a Survivor’
Her latest CAM video, “I’m a Survivor,” pairs her with 35 members of the Sol Dance Academy along with are three released hostages — Moran Stela Yanai, Raz Ben Ami, and Hila Rotem Shoshani. The participants danced within a tunnel, representing the innocents still held hostage by the terrorist group.
“I’ve built such strong personal relationships with many of the released hostages and the hostage families,” Tucker tells Align. “I feel like they’re my family now.”
The clip also features family members of Ohad Ben Ami, Shlomo Manzur, and Yossi and Eli Sharabi, some of nearly a hundred remaining Gaza hostages. New reports suggest significant progress is being made for a possible ceasefire and hostage release.
Some activists on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian divide throw razor sharp-elbows to make their points. That can inflame the debate and drive people farther apart. Tucker tries to bring people together on her social media channels.
“I’ve never criticized any group, beside Hamas,” she says with a gentle laugh.
Shedding followers
Her activism has come at a price. She shed hundreds of thousands of social media followers in the early days of her activism.
“That many people had so much hate inside shows anti-Semitism is very real,” she says.
She also lost her fair share of friends for speaking out, although she insists her closest chums have stood by her side.
Some of her fellow dancers, even those she worked alongside for years, told her they would no longer collaborate with her due to her Israeli support.
“It was hurtful and shocking,” she recalls.
No brands offered a similar, blunt response. She realized some stopped reaching out to her for professional deals. A few other brands stood up when others shrank away.
“We love your activism,” they told her.
A few in the entertainment field shared their support for her work, but they did so quietly.
“Major actors, major musicians came up to me or messaged me, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing.’ Yet they don’t post or speak out publicly,” she notes, fearing blowback or even death threats.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Hamas to release the hostages before he returns to the White House on Jan. 20. Tucker says she hopes and prays that will change the dynamic, but she steers clear of overtly political messaging.
Anyone can help
Tucker, whose grandparents survived the Nazi Holocaust, is uniquely positioned to raise awareness in our digital age. She insists others can lend a hand on social media.
“Trust me, you don’t have to dance or sing,” she says with a chuckle. “You don’t have to have millions of followers. … Every single person has the ability and power to make a difference.”
Too many people feel nervous bringing up the hostage crisis, yet they routinely explore other hot-button issues online, she notes.
“We need every single person’s voice, especially at this time. Being silent is not an option,” she says. “If you haven’t spoken up yet, it’s never too late.”
And, if your finances allow it, make a trek to Israel.
“It’s incredibly beautiful. … There’s so much resilience and pride, even in a time of war,” she says, adding the nation’s diversity may surprise visitors.
“Many hospitals have Arab children playing with Jewish and Muslim children. … They co-exist peacefully,” she says.
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