What began as a deeply personal spiritual journey for American UFC fighter Lando Vannata has sparked widespread attention after he publicly embraced his Jewish heritage during a visit to Eretz Yisroel. After revealing that he is Jewish through his mother, Vannata visited the Kosel, where he donned tefillin for the very first time.

Vannata arrived in Israel ahead of the international GFN1 event and began his visit with a tour of Ancient Shiloh in the Binyamin region, accompanied by fighters from Israel and several other countries. During the visit, he learned about Shiloh’s central role in Jewish history, where the Mishkan stood for 369 years.

As he toured the historic site, Vannata spoke openly and emotionally about discovering his maternal Jewish heritage and his growing connection to the Jewish people.

He later traveled to the Kosel in Yerushalayim, where he stood before the remnants of the Beis Hamikdash and wrapped tefillin for the first time in his life. The moving experience was recorded and shared with his hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

Not long after posting the video, Vannata reportedly saw his Instagram following decline by approximately 1,900 people. Organizers of the visit believe the drop was no coincidence, suggesting it may have resulted from anti-Israel activists reacting to his visit and his public embrace of his Jewish identity.

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz praised Vannata for proudly acknowledging his heritage and urged Israelis to rally behind him online.

“We are proud of Lando for not being afraid to proudly reveal his Jewish identity and his connection to the Land of Israel. The fact that this journey began here, in Ancient Shiloh, is especially moving,” Ganz said.

Ganz encouraged Israelis to respond to what he described as an organized effort to silence Vannata through social media pressure.

“Anyone who thinks people can be intimidated through boycott campaigns on social media is mistaken. I call on all Israeli citizens to show Lando that he is not standing alone-to visit his social media pages, follow him, and encourage him. Every show of support is a response to these attempts to silence him.”

Ganz concluded by saying that supporters of Israel must continue sharing the Jewish people’s historical connection to the land with influential visitors from around the world.

“Those who stand by the truth ultimately prevail. We will continue bringing influential people from around the world to Ancient Shiloh and the Binyamin region so they can learn the true story of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and become its ambassadors.”