More than 150 Jewish creatives back Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech criticizing Israeli occupation

More than 150 Jewish actors, filmmakers, and creatives have signed an open letter supporting Jonathan Glazer's controversial Oscars speech, where he condemned the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Signatories include Joaquin Phoenix, Debra Winger, Todd Haynes, Joel Coen, and many more. Glazer's speech, made after winning Best International Feature for his Holocaust film "The Zone of Interest", ignited fierce debate.  In his statement, Glazer said, "Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people... how do we resist?” The speech drew criticism from Zionist supporters, with some accusing him of fueling antisemitism. This new open letter defends Glazer's right to speak out. “We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks,” the open letter reads. “...Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling antisemitism.” The letter concludes, “We honor the Holocaust by saying: Never again for anyone.” Israel's onslaught on Gaza has killed over 33,000 Palestinians since October last year, including more than 13,000 children. Many people including UN experts have likened Israel's actions to a genocide whereas others falsely invoke anti-semitism as a way to defend Israel's massacre of Palestinian civilians. Read the full open letter and see the list of signees below as obtained by Variety. We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers, and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks. Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation. We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.  The attacks on Glazer also have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent, the very qualities our field should cherish. Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling antisemitism. In his speech, Glazer asked how we can resist the dehumanization that has led to mass atrocities throughout history. For such a statement to be taken as an affront only underscores its urgency. We should be able to name Israel’s apartheid and occupation — both recognized by leading human rights organizations as such — without being accused of rewriting history.  As the Director of the Auschwitz Memorial, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, wrote, “’The Zone of Interest’ is not a film about the Shoah. It is primarily a profound warning about humanity and its nature.” We must not reserve this warning for a single group. To preserve our humanity and ensure our mutual survival, we must sound the alarm when any group faces such brutality and acts of erasure. We are proud Jews who denounce the weaponization of Jewish identity and the memory of the Holocaust to justify what many experts in international law, including leading Holocaust scholars, have identified as a “genocide in the making.” We reject the false choice between Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom. We stand with all those calling for a permanent ceasefire, including the safe return of all hostages and the immediate delivery of aid into Gaza, and an end to Israel’s ongoing bombardment of and siege on Gaza.  We honor the memory of the Holocaust by saying: Never again for anyone. Signed,   Lenny Abrahamson  Ra’anan Alexandrowicz  Erin Allweiss  Mark Asch  Liran Atzmor  Erin Axelman  Annie Baker  Todd Banhazl  Ariela Barer  Morgan Bassichis  Joshuah Bearman  Abner Benaim  Amy Berg  Kate Berlant  Gregg Bordowitz  Agnes Borinsky  Janicza Bravo  Margaret Brown  Dan Bucatinsky  Simone Bitton  Daniel Chalfen  Joel Coen  Dan Cogan  Dominic Cooke  Molly Crabapple  David Cross  Cyrus Dunham  David Ehrlich*  Deborah Eisenberg  Isaac Feldberg  Chloe Fineman  Jordan Firstman  Frances Fisher  Sarah Sophie Flicker  Esther Freud  Bella Freud  Uri Fruchtmann  Noah Galvin  Sarah Gavron  Tavi Gevinson  Ilana Glazer  Natalie Gold  Sam Gold  Jimmy Goldblum  Daniel Goldhaber  Nan Goldin  Josh Gondelman  Josh Gordon  Elliott Gould  Miles Greenberg  Doron Max Hagay  Gordon Hall  Todd Haynes  Fred Hechinger  Lee Hirsch  Eliza Hittman  Nicole Holofcener  Ilan Isakov  Abbi Jacobson  Kristi Jacobson  Rachel Leah Jones  Miranda July  David Katznelson  Deborah Kaufman  Ella Kemp  Sara Kiener  Lola Kirke  Dan Kitrosser  Alison Klayman  Naomi Klein  Pamela Koffler  Jess Kohl  Maris Kreizman  Lisa Kron  Justin Kuritzkes  Rachel Kushner  Serge Lalou  Nadav Lapid  Julliette Larthe  Michael Lieberman  Alison Leiby  Mike Leigh  Cindi Leive  Jonathan Lethem  Mica Levi  Avi Lewis  Kyle Lukoff  Darius Marder  Miriam Margolyes  Sam Marks  Daniel Maté  Gabor Maté  Jane Mayle  Jonathan Meth  Lise Mayer  Collier Meyerson  Avi Mograbi  Sophie Monks Kaufman  Mik Moore  Michael Morris  Hari Nef  Chani Nicholas  David Osit  Nira Park  Zeena Parkins  Joaquin Phoenix  Rain Phoenix  Max Posner  Jeff Preiss  Sarah Ramos  Allon Reich  Leo Reich  Boots Riley  Howard A. Rodman  Jon Ronson  Jacqueline Rose  Martin Rosenbaum  Jason Rosenberg  Tessa Ross  Ira Sachs  Tilly Scantlebury  James Schamus  Jane Schoenbrun  Sarah Schulman  Emma Seligman  Wallace Shawn  Mel Shimkowitz  Noam Shuster Eliassi  Amy Sillman  Nathan Silver  Michael Skolnik  Gillian Slovo  Robyn Slovo  Shawn Slovo  Sarah Adina Smith  Alan Snitow  Morgan Spector  Tom Stoppard  Kae Tempest  Lynne Tillman  Rachel Traub  V (formerly Eve Ensler)  Alicia Van Couvering  Adam Weber  Madeline Weinstein  Debra Winger  Matt Wolf  Jeremy Yaches  Gary Yershon  Jeremiah Zagar  Alexander Zeldin 

from Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/kwKuUaI