Jewish actress Odessa A\u2019zion appeared to push back this week on social media claims labeling her as a \u201cZionist,\u201d after controversy swirled online over her political opinions.<\/p>\n
The speculation about the 25-year-old actress\u2019s political leanings first surfaced last week after users on X posted a screenshot<\/a> of her modeling an Israeli Defense Forces shirt on Instagram in 2017, when she was around 17 years old.<\/p>\n While some users defended the actress, who is currently co-starring in the movie \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d and the HBO hit show \u201cI Love L.A.,\u201dpointing out her history of posting pro-Palestinian sentiments online<\/a>, others were quick to condemn her.<\/p>\n Last week, A\u2019zion pushed back on the chatter. On an Instagram post, she wrote<\/a>, \u201cdebunking!! not a zio \u2665\ufe0f,\u201d a common online abbreviation of \u201cZionist\u201d which many Jews consider derogatory.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, under a post from Hear Me Out News<\/a> about the controversy, she added: \u201cI do not support the IDF or Netanyahu in any way! I wish I had known the significance of that shirt when I was a kid, unfortunately I didn\u2019t then, but I know now and it\u2019s not something I support at all! Putting this to rest!\u201d<\/p>\n A\u2019zion, the daughter of Jewish actress and comedian Pamela Adlon, has said her stage name, which she adopted around 2020, is a combination of her mother\u2019s name and her own middle name, Zion. Social media<\/a> wags criticized her stage name<\/a> following a red carpet appearance for the premiere of \u201cMarty Supreme.<\/p>\n Entertainers have been under pressure to declare their allegiances<\/a> since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023 and the war that followed. Some Jewish celebrities have said they support Israel\u2019s right to exist or share an affinity with its people even if they deeply disagree with the Israeli government and oppose the war. Many activists, however, reject Zionism in any form.<\/p>\n In 2022, Pamela Adlon, who is known for her roles in Louis C.K.\u2019s sitcom \u201cLouis\u201d and as the creator and star of the critically acclaimed \u201cBetter Things\u201d on FX, appeared on the celebrity genealogy show\u00a0\u201cFinding Your Roots.\u201d<\/a> where she learned that her great-great-grandfather was a famous rabbi.<\/p>\n \t\t\t