Is Brett Gelman Jewish? Stranger Things star comes under fire over defending Noah Schnapp amid Zionism controversy

Actor Brett Gelman recently responded to Noah Schnapp's comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict, claiming through an Instagram video that he was "afraid" since he was a Jewish-American. Gelman, who is known for his appearance as Murray Bauman in Stranger Things, grew up in a Jewish family, as per Hey Alma.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Brett Gelman was questioned about Noah Schnapp's video while he was at the Los Angeles International Airport. Gelman replied that whatever Schnapp said was true.

"He held up a sticker saying Zionism is s*xy and he said, Hamas is ISIS. Hamas is a terrorist organization and Zionism is the belief that Israel should exist, and that's s*xy."

Gelman has already addressed the controversy through a post shared on X (Twitter) on January 16, 2024. He wrote that "Zionism only means that you believe Israel has the right to exist" and it does not refer to anything related to war.

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Brett Gelman criticized for his support towards the controversial post by Noah Schnapp

While Noah Schnapp has been in the headlines for his video on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Brett Gelman took his side by sharing his opinion.

However, netizens were unhappy with Brett's response and took to social media to express their frustration.

Netizens share their criticism towards Gelman (Image via brettgelman/X)

Netizens share their criticism towards Gelman (Image via brettgelman/X)

Netizens share their criticism towards Gelman (Image via brettgelman/X)

Schnapp, who plays the role of Will Byers in Stranger Things, has already apologized for his comments through a TikTok video, saying that there was some misunderstanding on what he said, as per Deadline. Gelman addressed the apology video by saying he had not seen it until now.

Schnapp mentioned in the video that he wanted to witness peace and safety for those who were victims of the conflict.

"I've had many open discussions with friends of Palestinian backgrounds. Those are very important conversations to be had and I've learned a lot. We all hope for the same things… Anyone with any ounce of humanity would hope for an end to the hostilities on both ends."

Noah's controversial video has already landed him in trouble, with netizens calling for a boycott of the upcoming season of Stranger Things, which is currently in the production stage.

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Brett Gelman has expressed his support towards Israel after the conflict started in October 2023

Brett Gelman joined a skit on the sketch comedy series Eretz Nehederet in December last year, which spoke on the anti-Israel sentiments in various colleges around the US.

The Times of Israel states that he also went to Israel at the time to visit a woman named Noam Ben David, who was a victim of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

As a response to the conflict, Brett Gelman shared two Instagram videos in October 2023 and started singing a song where he continued saying the line, "You don't read. No, no, no." In the second video, he was heard singing:

"Hey fake woke liberal Americans. Guess who actually lives on stolen land? You do. Guess who actually lives on stolen land? You do you, me Jew. You live on stolen land."

Brett is confirmed to return as Murray Bauman in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. A release date for the new season has not been confirmed by Netflix or the Duffer Brothers until now.