Zach Sage Fox

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Zach Sage Fox (Zachary Sage) is an American comedian, actor, producer and content creator known for his content in support of Israel.

Contents

Early life and education

Fox grew up in Philadelphia, where he attended Jewish day school. He experienced only occasional antisemitism, mainly name-calling and having pennies thrown at him. His father warned him about antisemitism at universities. [1]

At age 12, Fox attended weight loss camp, where he bonded with Omri Dorani. Together, they would go on to found Fat Camp Films as teens. [1] Fox attended the University of Pennsylvania. [2]

Career

Fox and Dorani developed a prank-themed television show, Disney's Just Kidding , [1] when they were 17. They wrote and directed a feature film starring Fox, [3] which was acquired by Hulu. [4] They have also produced movies and television shows for Amazon and HBO MAX. [1]

Activism

When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Fox had 1.2 million social media followers. [1] He used his accounts to support Israeli interests during the Gaza war and raise awareness about antisemitism. In June 2024, he made a video in Ramallah asking local residents to denounce Hamas. [1] [5] He stated that Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and his interviewees disagreed, saying that Gaza remained under occupation. [6] Fox stated that he met Israelis who said they had love in their hearts for Palestinians and that he himself had love for Palestinians. [7] While in Ramallah, Fox said he only met Palestinians who had been indoctrinated to hate Israelis [6] and who opposed a two-state solution. [8] Although Fox claims to have only met Hamas supporters on his trip, polling by The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that about a third of Palestinians supported Hamas, while 70% of Palestinians were “satisfied” with Hamas’ war performance. [9]

Fox also made videos on college campuses, discussing the Gaza war and depicting students as unaware that Hamas had attacked the Nova festival and numerous other civilians. He described them as misinformed by TikTok and commented that "Jews have always been the scapegoat of history". [10] He made some comedic videos, promoting an "anti-Zionist keg stand" and facetiously recruiting for a "Hamas fraternity", and said that it was very easy to persuade college students to "hate Jews and Israel". [11] [12] He dressed as Moses at a pro-Palestinian protest at New York University and asked protesters if Hamas should release the hostages. [13]

In April 2024, Fox reportedly supported banning TikTok even though he had 1 million followers on the platform. [14] [15] He was also quoted as supporting its sale to an American company to facilitate regulation. [16] [17]

On the night of October 6, 2024, Fox hosted Philadelphia's “365 Days of Hope” rally commemorating the October 7, 2023 attacks, on the lawn between the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History and the National Constitution Center. [18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rosenman, Ronnie (2024-10-30). "Unfiltered truths: Zach Sage Fox on comedy, heritage, and bearing witness post-October 7". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  2. "FridayPiday: Zach Fox (Pennsylvania, 2017) and Omri Dorani (Arizona, 2015)". AEPi. 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  3. Clarke, Stewart (2017-10-26). "Kew Media Group Picks Up 'How to Get Girls'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  4. Gonzalez, Umberto (2018-10-01). "Chris Kattan High School Comedy 'How to Get Girls' Lands at Hulu (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  5. Kashyap, Aryaman (2024-07-25). "WATCH: Palestinians Asked About Israel, Gaza War And Hostages; Responses Will Shock You". Times Now. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  6. 1 2 Lobell, Kylie Ora (2024-08-08). "The Wild West Bank: Showing the Truth About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict". Aish.com. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  7. Weissman, Miri (2024-07-25). "American's interviews in Ramallah turn hostile, forced to delete footage". www.israelhayom.com. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  8. Heller, Mathilda (2024-07-24). "'Sympathy to deep admiration': Palestinians tell US comedian they love Hamas - interview". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  9. Bradley, Charlie (2024-07-27). "'I went to Palestine and almost didn't make it out alive". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  10. Neifakh, Veronica (2025-01-13). "Zach Sage Fox: From Comedy to Advocacy Against Antisemitic Misinformation". The Media Line. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  11. Swindle, David (2024-09-10). ""Pretty insane" reaction to social experiment as comedians "launch" Hamas fraternity on campus – Israel InSight". Israel InSight – The Magazine for Israel's Christian Friends. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  12. Isaacson, Gila (2024-09-12). "FRIGHTENING: What these comedians' social experiment revealed about U.S. college students". JFeed. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  13. "'Let my people go!': NYU students tell 'Moses' they don't support Hamas releasing the hostages". The Jerusalem Post. 2024-04-27. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  14. Srivastava, Aditi (2024-04-21). "TikTok star urges US to force sale after witnessing 'terrifying' algorithm amid Israel-Palestine war". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  15. "Zach Sage Fox: Combating Antisemitic Misinformation Through Comedy and Advocacy". DISA. 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  16. "'Gen Z is becoming Gen Terrorism': TikTok is brainwashing American students, says an influencer as protests supporting Hamas escalate on US college campuses". Business Today. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  17. Palmejar, Alvin (2024-04-25). "Zach Sage Fox Says TikTok Algorithm Had 'Ominous Turn' That Supports 'Gen Terrorism'". Influencer News. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  18. Silver, Stephen (2024-10-16). "Weitzman Museum Hosts Nova Music Festival Exhibition". Jewish Exponent. Retrieved 2025-01-18.