A personal and emotional moment during his visit to Israel quickly turned into an online controversy. Lando Vannata, the American UFC fighter who traveled to Israel ahead of the international GFN1 event, revealed during a tour of Ancient Shiloh that he is Jewish through his mother. Shortly afterward, he visited the Western Wall, where he put on tefillin for the first time in his life.
Vannata's visit began at Ancient Shiloh in the Binyamin region, where he toured alongside fighters from Israel and abroad. During the visit, he learned about the site's history as the location of the Tabernacle for 369 years. During the tour, he spoke emotionally about his personal connection to the Jewish people and his maternal Jewish heritage.
From there, Vannata traveled to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Standing before the ancient stones, he put on tefillin for the first time in his life, documented the moment, and shared it on social media with his hundreds of thousands of followers.
Within hours of posting the video, however, his Instagram account reportedly lost about 1,900 followers. Those involved in organizing the visit believe the decline was not coincidental and may have been the result of anti-Israel activity on social media following his visit to Israel and his public acknowledgment of his Jewish roots.
Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz praised Vannata and called on Israelis to support him on social media.
"We are proud of Lando for not being afraid to proudly reveal his Jewish identity and his connection to the Land of Israel. The fact that this journey began here, in Ancient Shiloh, is especially moving," Ganz said.
He added: "Anyone who thinks people can be intimidated through boycott campaigns on social media is mistaken. I call on all Israeli citizens to show Lando that he is not standing alone-to visit his social media pages, follow him, and encourage him. Every show of support is a response to these attempts to silence him."
Ganz concluded: "Those who stand by the truth ultimately prevail. We will continue bringing influential people from around the world to Ancient Shiloh and the Binyamin region so they can learn the true story of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and become its ambassadors."