Dolly Parton, who passed away last week at 80 years old, was more than just a country music legend. In 1995, her nonprofit Dollywood Foundation launched the Imagination Library, an early childhood literacy program that mailed a free book every month to every registered child until their fifth birthday, at no cost to families.
It was difficult to find a bad word said about Parton by anybody, but Snopes picked up on a rumor that her Imagination Library had mailed books to children in Israel.
Following country music legend Dolly Parton's passing, some people claimed her Imagination Library donated books to children in Israel. We went directly to the Dollywood Foundation, which funds the organization, to find the truth. https://t.co/H1DoNKhyrd pic.twitter.com/RAmSRODrpW
— snopes.com (@snopes) August 28, 2026
You will be entirely unshocked to learn who wrote this and where they wrote it from. https://t.co/qTp6fqg4sD
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) August 31, 2026
The fact-check was written by Nur Ibrahim, who was inspired by this post:
People accusing Dolly of being evil because she MAYBE donated books to some Israeli children?
— Alan ✨🪩🎶 (@K1TKATCLUBS) August 27, 2026
Maybe i’m not woke but if she did, i don’t think helping young children who can’t control where they are born is that big of a deal?? Like i am anti israel 100% but all kids need books
Snopes rated the claim false:
The organization PJ Library, which provides free books for Jewish children — including children in Israel – was inspired by Parton's Imagination Library but did not have a formal relationship with it. The Imagination Library operated in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Ireland and Australia. Parton expressed support for PJ Library's efforts in a 2023 interview.
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So Parton's clean. It's PJ Library that's the culprit.
This individual thinks that giving books to Jewish children is a bad thing pic.twitter.com/RFpTTtf3Vu
— Nick Fuentesberg (@NickFuentesberg) August 31, 2026
Why would this be a bad thing?
— Max 📟 (@MaxNordau) August 30, 2026
Hey Ms. Ibrahim, 20% of Israelis are Muslim, Christian, Druze, and other. Is it ok to give books to those children?
— ariella.leah (@theariellaleah) August 31, 2026
Why did you indulge this hateful nonsense?
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) August 30, 2026
Do you prefer when Israeli children are murdered by Hamas? Why are they not deserving of free books?
— Mark D (@MarkedlyStupid) August 31, 2026
I’m sure that pandering to utter trash is the result of a carefully crafted strategy by your top line, and it will serve you well going forward.
— Overegg Kroquon (@ScubaScubasteph) August 31, 2026
And if it does donate books to children in Israel? Do you have a problem with that?
— Corey (@thisandthaatt) August 30, 2026
Um, this wouldn't be a bad thing at all. But getting upset about it sure is.
— BanHammer (@BanHammerJags) August 31, 2026
Why would you even dignify this with any time of research or response
— American Prometheus 🟦 (@daniopp) August 31, 2026
Why didn’t you just say “Who cares?”
— Jaihawkk (@Jaihawkk) August 30, 2026
I've heard some of the books went to black children. Is this true?
— Paul A Davies (@ELTAuthor) August 31, 2026
I'm old enough to remember a time when Snopes was a fact-checker, rather than a purity-checker for its antisemitic and leftist supporters.
— ResponsibleAdult (@CommonishGround) August 31, 2026
Another formerly useful organization captured by the omnicause. Pity.
— Nicholas Freedman (@ShockedNick) August 31, 2026
Oh Snopes, what have you become?
— Widmerpool Appreciation Society (@AtticumFloreat) August 31, 2026
"A productive first day running the social media account of the oldest fact checking site on the internet and even found time to debunk a new myth. Seems it's generated a lot of feedback which I am sure will all be positive."
— Jozef Koztelo (@jokers_tailor) August 31, 2026
Does it not strike you as absolutely INSANE to even worry that children in Israel might get books?
— Smoke 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@London__Smoke) August 30, 2026
I glad you cleared Dolly of any implication she gave books to Jewish kids.
— Jack Stilton (@Stilton143) August 31, 2026
I hate to think of all the books and albums that would be burned if she'd made the mistake of helping Jewish kids.
Nice of you to calm the Jew hating racists down, that no children books were given to children in Israel.
— Maddy Dots (@CastingTheTunes) August 30, 2026
You can all breathe and return to hating Jewish children born in Israel.
What? Why would that even be worth investigating.
— TomChaim 🕊️ (@ChaimTom) August 31, 2026
Why would donating books to children in Israel be an activity worthy of investigation?
— Unnamed Source (@The_Ex_Xmen) August 31, 2026
Maybe Snopes shouldn't have indulged this particular "controversy." We're sure Snopes' anti-Zionist readers appreciate knowing they don't have to burn their Dolly Parton albums.
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