Short answer: As of July 2026, Elizabeth Gilbert has made no known public statement, donation, event appearance, boycott action, or Jewish-identity connection tied to Israel. She is not Jewish and has not commented publicly on Israel, Gaza, or October 7. Her only documented brush with a politically charged withdrawal decision was pulling her novel "The Snow Forest" in June 2023 over Ukrainian, not Israeli, backlash. There is no evidence she supports or opposes Israel.
What Elizabeth Gilbert has actually said and done
- June 12, 2023: Gilbert announced she was pulling her forthcoming novel "The Snow Forest," set in 1930s Soviet Siberia, from its publication schedule after a wave of protest and one-star Goodreads reviews from Ukrainian readers who objected to a Russia-set story amid the Russia-Ukraine war, according to NPR. This remains the closest documented case of Gilbert responding to reader or political backlash over her work, but it concerns Russia and Ukraine, not Israel.
- June 15, 2023: A Times of Israel blog post by writer Judith Colp Rubin criticized Gilbert's decision to self-censor "The Snow Forest," drawing a passing comparison to Sally Rooney's refusal to allow a Hebrew translation of her novel over her opposition to Israeli policy toward Palestinians. This is an opinion piece critiquing Gilbert's general conduct as an author, not evidence that Gilbert herself has taken any position on Israel.
- October 21, 2023: A widely reported entertainment-industry ceasefire letter to President Biden, covered by NPR, was signed by figures such as Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix. Elizabeth Gilbert's name does not appear among the reported signatories in any source found.
- May 29, 2025: A separate UK and Ireland writers' ceasefire letter, also reported by NPR, circulated among literary figures. Gilbert's name does not appear on that list either.
- Through July 2026: A comprehensive search of news archives, entertainment coverage, and social media reporting turns up no public statement, interview comment, donation, boycott action, signed open letter, or event appearance by Gilbert regarding Israel, Gaza, Hamas, or October 7, 2023.
Jewish identity and the industry backdrop
Elizabeth Gilbert is the best-selling American memoirist behind "Eat, Pray, Love" (2006) and "Committed," known for writing about personal growth, spirituality, and relationships rather than geopolitics. She is not Jewish, and no reputable source ties her to Jewish heritage, Israeli travel, or personal connections to the country. Her public profile in recent years has centered on spiritual memoir and, since the 2018 death of her partner Rayya Elias, on grief writing.
The one instance where her name intersects with politically charged backlash is the June 2023 withdrawal of "The Snow Forest" after Ukrainian readers objected to its Russia-set premise. That episode has nothing to do with Israel, but it is sometimes invoked by commentators, as in the Times of Israel blog post above, as a point of comparison when discussing how authors handle politically sensitive settings, including Sally Rooney's Israel-related translation refusal. No search turned up any Gilbert statement, donation, event appearance, boycott participation, or refusal specific to Israel or the Israel-Hamas war.
The bottom line
There is no public record of Elizabeth Gilbert supporting or opposing Israel. She has no documented Jewish-identity connection, no statements on Israel or Gaza, and her name does not appear on any pro-Israel or anti-Israel open letter found in this research. The topic simply has not come up in her public life. The honest answer is "no known position," not evidence of support or opposition either way.
Support Israel directly
When a public figure's stance is unclear or simply unknown, the clearest way to show where you stand is still to say so yourself. Shop Israel's Support Israel collection carries everyday pieces, including the Israeli flag home decor piece, made for people who want their support visible without waiting on a celebrity endorsement.
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Last updated July 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
