UFC Fighter Lando Vannata Loses Thousands of Followers After Sharing First Tefillin Experience in Israel

American UFC fighter Lando Vannata, who revealed his Jewish heritage through his mother, visited Israel ahead of the GFN1 international fighting event. During his visit, he went to the Western Wall and put on tefillin for the first time in his life, sharing the emotional moment on his Instagram account, which has tens of thousands of followers. His video, showing him donning tefillin and joyfully dancing at the Western Wall, quickly amassed tens of thousands of views. However, within 24 hours, Vannata lost over 1,900 followers, a fact he humorously noted in an Instagram story.

The post sparked a range of reactions, including comments acknowledging that his act would upset some people and others admitting they unfollowed him easily. Vannata's visit to Israel also included a tour of ancient Shiloh in the Benjamin region, where he expressed excitement about reconnecting with his Jewish roots.

Israel Gantz, head of the Benjamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, praised Vannata for proudly embracing his Jewish identity and connection to Israel. Gantz condemned the online backlash as ineffective intimidation and called on Israeli citizens to support Vannata by following him on social media to counter attempts to silence him. He emphasized that those who stand by their truth ultimately prevail.