Over 1,200 members of the entertainment industry, including Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik, and Ram Bergman, have signed an open letter rejecting the latest petition to boycott Israeli productions, festivals, and institutions. The petition, which has gained over 5,000 signatories, including Jonathan Glazer and Laura Poitras, is seen as a "de-facto test" to silence Israeli filmmakers and Jewish stories.<\/p>\n
The letter, written by the non-profit organization Creative Community for Peace, states that "censoring the voices that try to find commonalities and express their humanity is wrong, ineffective, and a form of collective punishment." It argues that the Israeli film industry "includes groundbreaking, solemn, and critical projects about Palestinians and Jews" and is a "lively center of cooperation between Jewish and Palestinian artists and creatives."<\/p>\n
The signatories of the open letter, including former Paramount Pictures CEO Sherry Lansing and Rebecca De Mornay, are concerned that the boycott will fuel a "disturbing culture of marginalization" and contribute to the rise of anti-Semitism. Mayim Bialik, who appears in Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Lion winner "Father Mother Sister Brother," stated that "boycotting filmmakers, studios, production companies, and individuals just because they are Israeli fuels and contributes to a disturbing culture of marginalization."<\/p>\n
The boycott has already had an impact on the film industry, with the Israeli Minister of Culture, Miki Zohar, withdrawing the government’s funding for the Ophir Awards after the winner of the Best Film award, "The Sea," was announced. The film, which tells the story of a Palestinian boy who visits the sea for the first time in Tel Aviv, was supported by the Israel Film Fund.<\/p>\n
The open letter concludes by calling on the entertainment industry to reject the boycott and instead support filmmakers who create dialogue and promote peace. It states that "if you want peace, demand the immediate release of the remaining hostages. Support filmmakers who create dialogue in all communities. Stand against Hamas. Let art speak the whole truth."<\/p>\n
To our colleagues and the global film community,
\nWe know the power of film. We know the power of history. Therefore, we cannot remain silent when a story is twisted into a weapon, when lies are disguised as justice, and artists are misled into reinforcing anti-Semitic propaganda.
\nThe pledge that has circulated under the banner "Film Workers for Palestine" is not an act of conscience. It is a document of misinformation committed to arbitrary censorship and art erasure.
\nCensoring the voices that try to find commonalities and express their humanity is wrong, ineffective, and a form of collective punishment.
\nThe film industry of Israel includes groundbreaking, solemn, and critical projects about Palestinians and Jews, many of which have been praised and celebrated. The film community of Israel is restless, argumentative, and independent, where directors and many of the festivals they aim to challenge and consistently program contradiction.
\nIsrael’s entertainment industry is a lively center of cooperation between Jewish and Palestinian artists and creatives who work together every day to tell complex stories that entertain and inform both communities and the world. Israeli film institutions are not government agencies. They are often the loudest critics of government policy.
\nThe pledge uses nebulous terms such as "implicitly" and "complicit." Who will decide which Israeli filmmakers and film institutions are "complicit"? A McCarthyist committee with blacklists? Or is "complicity" just a pretext to ostracize all Israelis and Zionists \u2013 95% of the Jewish population of the world \u2013 no matter what they create or believe?
\nHistory warns us. Censorship has already been used to silence filmmakers: the Nazi Germany propaganda machine, the Soviet censorship, and even Hollywood’s own blacklists. Every time it was disguised as a virtue. And every time it was oppression. The goals expanded every time.
\nWe know that many of you have good intentions and believe that you stand for peace. But your names are bound to lies and discrimination. This pledge erases diverse Israeli voices, legitimizes lies, and shields Hamas from guilt.
\nIf you want peace, demand the immediate release of the remaining hostages. Support filmmakers who create dialogue in all communities. Stand against Hamas.
\nLet art speak the whole truth.
\nWe ask all of our colleagues in the entertainment industry to reject this discriminatory and anti-Semitic boycott call, which only adds another roadblock on the way to peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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