Oscar-nominated, multiplatinum singer-songwriter John Ondrasik told Breitbart News recently that the hostages held by Hamas would have been released sooner if the world’s biggest artists and singers demanded it after October 7.

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), the “Five for Fighting” singer contrasted the arts community’s response to the September 11 terrorist attacks to the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.

“After 9/11 every icon pretty much was on that stage at Madison Square Garden, at the concert for New York condemning Osama bin Laden, standing up for America. But since October 7, crickets,” said Ondrasik. “There is no good explanation for that. It is the sign of a broken world.

“When the arts are broken, the world is broken,” he added.

Ondrasik expanded this into a broader message about the importance of the arts highlighting human rights abuses, calling it a shame that they did not step up for the hostages.

“So many of these artists that have laid their claim as the human rights leaders: Live Aid, Concert for New York, Sun City, the Springsteens of the world, even Bono. Their silence has been deafening,” he said.

“I truly believe that on October 8, 2023, the artist of the world said ‘release those hostages’ and did a ‘We are the World’ for the hostages, and if that didn’t happen, say ‘we’re not gonna play until the Red Cross visits those hostages,’ we would not be here,” he continued. “The BBC would not be a mouthpiece for Hamas. Certainly our college campuses would still be raging.”

“The collapse of the arts is one reason why the culture has collapsed, and it breaks my heart as an artist,” he added.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.