Weekly Kibbitz
bonus digital content
TikTok Star Montana Tucker Follows Holocaust
Series by Emceeing Embassy Event
TikTok star Montana Tucker, who documented a family trip to Auschwitz last year for
her millions of followers, emceed the Israeli embassy in Washington’s event celebrating
Israel’s 75th anniversary.

The 30-year-old actress and singer is best known for her short dance videos, which
often include celebrities. She has more than 9 million TikTok followers and close to 3
million Instagram followers.

Tucker’s selection as the emcee for the Israeli embassy event, held June 6 at the
National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., comes as the star builds a reputation
for Jewish content.

Last June, Tucker and her mother visited Auschwitz, the former Nazi death camp that
is now a museum and memorial in Oswiecim, Poland. Tucker’s great-grandmother and
other relatives were murdered there during the Holocaust.

Tucker narrated a series of short videos about the trip, which she titled “How To:
Never Forget” and collected into a 23-minute video on YouTube in January, ahead of
International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

She has said that she was inspired in part to educate others about Holocaust history
and antisemitism by Kanye West’s series of antisemitic rants last fall. She was also
disturbed by a 2020 Claims Conference survey on millennial and Gen Z knowledge of
the Holocaust that found that 63% of those demographics in the United States did not
know 6 million Jews died during World War II.

In March, Tucker then posted a conversation she had with second gentleman Doug
Emhoff, who had visited Auschwitz in January and who is also focused on efforts to combat
antisemitism. She attended the first White House Jewish Women’s Forum days earlier.

Tucker, who grew up in Boca Raton, Fla., and also releases pop music, was close with
her grandparents who survived the war and recorded testimony for Steven Spielberg’s
USC Shoah Foundation archive.

“My whole life, I always knew my grandparents’ stories,” Tucker told Variety in
January. “I’ve always felt very, very attached to them. They used to speak at all the
schools down in Florida. My zaide … would wear a pin that said, ‘I’m a survivor.’”
Tucker also has ties to Israel, where she had her bat mitzvah ceremony, as Jewish
Insider reported. She said it’s a “big priority” to visit again soon.

— Gabe Friedman | JTA
Every Tuesday of the
Month MEMORY CARE
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Questions? 215-321-6166
Join us each month for coffee and conversation specifically for people with dementia
and their caregivers.

Event to be held at:
Barnes and Noble
(in the Starbucks)
210 Commerce Boulevard
Fairless Hills, PA 19030
What is a Memory Café?
Originally started in England, this informal setting provides the caregiver a forum for
discussion, reducing the isolation often felt by people with dementia, their caregivers
and families. Discussions can range from practical tips for coping with dementia, avoiding
caregiver burnout or information about community resources. There is no cost or
obligation, and many attendees develop friendships that result in support even outside
the Memory Café setting.

All attendees will adhere to proper COVID-19 guidelines including masking, staying
socially distant and hand sanitizing.

4 JUNE 8, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
arden-courts.org