Actress Debra Messing reflected Tuesday on her upbringing, experiences with antisemitism and her public advocacy following the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

“I knew at a very young age that I was different,” Messing told “Being Jewish” podcast host Jonah Platt at an event hosted by the Jewish Federation of Broward County. “People didn’t like me. And I just instinctively shrunk because I always felt the sense of danger.”

The conversation centered on Messing’s childhood in Rhode Island, where she described repeated incidents of anti-Jewish harassment, as well as her later decision to speak out more publicly in defense of Israel and Jewish identity.

Messing said her early experiences shaped how she understood her identity and safety, recalling how her family’s property was repeatedly vandalized and how she concealed her faith in school.

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“We were not liked,” Messing said. “My parents had to sit me down and say, ‘People don’t like us. There is no reason. It’s just a fact, but we are proud Jews.’”

She described one early incident in elementary school that marked her awareness of antisemitism.

“The first thing that happened was in second grade,” Messing said. “This little boy turned to me and said, ‘Get to the back of the line.’ And I didn’t know what the word was.”

Messing said she did not feel a sense of belonging until attending college, where she encountered a strong Jewish community.

“It wasn’t until then that I realized I’ve never felt safe in my entire life until now,” she said.

Platt asked about her public advocacy, particularly after the October 7 attacks in Israel. Messing said the global response influenced her decision to speak out more forcefully.

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An older man helps a young boy read from Haggadah at a Passover Seder. (iStock)

“When October 7th happened, I expected the whole world to be mourning with us,” Messing said. “And then the very next day when they were celebrating in the streets and siding with Hamas … I remember saying, ‘If not now, now.’”

“There’s absolutely no option,” Messing said. “We have to get out there and defend Israel, defend the Israeli people, and straighten people out.”

Messing also addressed her use of social media, explaining that her initial goal was to provide information and encourage dialogue.

“I wanted to educate,” Messing said. “I wanted to put out information about Israel, about our history … to try and encourage a dialogue.”

“It became very clear very quickly that that was impossible.”

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Debra Messing spoke in support of Israel’s war against Hamas at the “March for Israel” in Washington, D.C. in November. (Noam Galai / Contributor)

Messing added that she continues to respond to criticism while maintaining her public pro-Israel stance.

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“As soon as I started defending Israel and being a proud Jew, the kind of comments that I get … they are so deranged and hurtful and painful,” she said.