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Cynthia Nixon’s Jewish Son Begins Hunger Strike to Support Gaza

  • Cynthia Nixon’s son, Seph Mozes, is on an indefinite hunger strike in Chicago to raise awareness about the Gaza humanitarian crisis.
  • Mozes’s activism is tied to his Jewish heritage, with family history including Holocaust survivors.
  • The strike highlights global tensions, drawing both support and criticism amid ongoing conflict and food shortages in Gaza.

Cynthia Nixon, best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City, is no stranger to activism. But this time, it’s her son, 28-year-old Seph Mozes, taking center stage in a bold, deeply personal protest. As Israel’s military campaign in Gaza continues to leave millions on the brink of famine, Mozes—a devout Jew and a member of the advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace—has gone on an indefinite hunger strike in Chicago, aiming to raise awareness of what he and others call a humanitarian catastrophe.

“He and five others started their hunger strike on Monday,” Nixon said in an interview, her voice tinged with both pride and concern. “They’re doing it for Gaza. Their message is simple and urgent: ‘Stop starving Gaza, stop arming Israel.’”

This isn’t just political for Mozes. It’s emotional. Deeply rooted in his identity. The young activist’s paternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors, and that family history plays a huge role in how he views the suffering of others—especially civilians caught in war zones.

“He knows this won’t end the war,” Nixon admitted. “But he feels compelled to act, to do everything within his power.”

Academic Voices Join the Movement

Mozes isn’t alone. His hunger strike is part of a coordinated effort led by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a group known for its firm anti-Zionist stance and unwavering support for Palestinians. Eman Abdelhadi, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago—where Mozes once studied—confirmed the protest had officially launched and was being led by six JVP members, including two academics.

“There can’t be business as usual while genocide is happening,” Abdelhadi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Her post quickly gained traction, sparking both praise and outrage across the internet.

Supporters applauded the hunger strikers for putting their bodies on the line in defense of a voiceless population. Critics, however, dismissed the action as performative or one-sided. Some accused the group of ignoring the complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict, especially after Hamas’s deadly October 7 attacks that triggered the latest war.

Still, the hunger strike has struck a chord—especially among young Jewish Americans who feel conflicted about their heritage, politics, and what they see unfolding in Gaza.

A Family Legacy of Protest

This isn’t the first time Nixon’s household has turned to fasting as protest. In November 2023, the actress herself participated in a part-time hunger strike in Washington, D.C., standing alongside other celebrities and lawmakers demanding a cease-fire. While Nixon only fasted for two of the five days, the experience left a lasting impact.

Now, less than two years later, her son has taken that legacy a step further.

“To watch your child not eat for days on end is heartbreaking,” Nixon said. “But to know he’s doing it out of compassion—it also fills me with awe.”

There’s a sense of generational continuity here. A family once shaped by the trauma of genocide now finds itself taking a moral stand against what they perceive as another humanitarian tragedy.

Gaza’s Desperate Reality

The backdrop of this protest is grim. The war in Gaza has left the territory in ruins. Nearly 2 million people, most of them displaced, are facing extreme food shortages. Humanitarian organizations have warned of an impending famine. And while Israel technically lifted its aid blockade in March, aid delivery has been chaotic, inconsistent, and often dangerous.

Earlier this week, tragedy struck yet again. A World Food Programme site in Gaza came under tank fire, allegedly from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The result was catastrophic—51 people were killed while waiting for food.

The IDF maintains that the area was being used by militants, but aid workers and eyewitnesses painted a different picture: desperate families gathering for survival, gunned down before they could receive a single meal.

Such scenes have outraged activists around the world and fueled protests like the one unfolding in Chicago.

Mixed Reactions and Rising Tensions

As word of the hunger strike spread, reactions poured in from all sides. On social media, the split was immediate. Some hailed the young strikers as “heroes” and “conscience-driven Jews,” while others called them “misguided” or even “traitors.”

Conservative pundits accused the group of “demonizing Israel,” while some Jewish leaders expressed discomfort with the use of Holocaust analogies in criticizing Israeli policy. “This is not the same,” one rabbi posted. “Drawing that comparison is unfair and hurtful.”

Others disagreed. “If Jews don’t speak out now, who will?” one user asked. “We say ‘never again’—but it has to mean never again for anyone.”

That moral dilemma continues to haunt many young Jews who feel torn between ancestral loyalty to Israel and a desire to stand up for universal human rights.

Nixon Stands by Her Son

For Nixon, who has long balanced a career in the spotlight with political activism, the personal and the political have never been more entwined.

“Watching him grow into a man who’s not afraid to speak out—it’s been emotional,” she said. “He’s doing what he believes is right, even if it’s uncomfortable. That’s courage.”

While critics question the efficacy of hunger strikes in ending wars, supporters argue that such acts of resistance help shift public opinion and put pressure on governments to reconsider their military alliances.

And in a world where scrolling past tragedy has become all too easy, a hunger strike is a jarring reminder of just how far some will go to make people pay attention.

What’s Next?

As Mozes and his fellow activists continue their fast in the heart of Chicago, the world watches with bated breath. Will their protest influence policymakers? Will it help bring attention back to Gaza, a place too often reduced to numbers and headlines?

In the words of Nixon herself: “We can’t wait for someone else to do the right thing. Sometimes, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

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