An anti-Israel mob reacted with ecstasy and joy to the news that the home of a pro-Israel activist was burned to the ground in the Los Angeles wildfires, the New York Post reported.
Samantha Ettus, a resident of the Pacific Palisades, which was devastated by one of the largest fires to strike Los Angeles this month, was bombarded with hate after she posted about the loss of her home of 13 years on social media.
One respondent wrote, “Glad you lost your home. Next time hope you’re in it."
Another said, “Can’t tell you how happy I am that you have lost your home!!!"
A third claimed that they chose to have sympathy even though they claimed that Ettus did not have sympathy for people in Gaza who lost their homes during the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.
Ettus founded 2024 New Voices in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, a social media campaign to combat antisemitism that featured the voices of celebrities. She told the New York Post that the level of hate she received after posting about the loss of her home shocked her, as did the posts wishing she had lost her life in the fire in addition to her home.
However, she vowed not to let this hate silence her.
”I have not let this slow me down. Even with hateful messages like this, it’s not going to stop me from speaking out," Ettus said at a Jewish women's conference following the incident. “We need all of our voices – we can’t stay silent. It’s scarier for Jewish people to stay silent right now than to speak up. If any good comes out of this, it’s that it’s encouraging everyone to speak up too. We’re all in this together.”
The Palisades wildfire, which began on January 7, destroyed much of the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu. Thousands of buildings, including homes, were burned to the ground, and over 20,000 acres have been burned.
Fueled by the intense Santa Ana wind gusts, which reached up to 80 miles per hour, and dry conditions, the Palisades fire and other wildfires that broke out at about the same time have claimed over two dozen lives and caused the evacuations of well over 100,000 people.