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A number of celebrities are demanding the immediate release of the now 239-plus hostages currently held by Hamas.
A number of celebrities and influencers are demanding the immediate release of the now 239-plus hostages currently held by Hamas terrorists.
This week, a coalition of celebrities launched a campaign to highlight the civilians currently held hostage in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war continues. The campaign, #ReleaseTheHostagesNow, was organized in part by Creative Community For Peace (CCFP), an entertainment industry non-profit organization; Nina Tassler (television executive and former Chairwoman of CBS Entertainment); and Emilio Schenker (CEO, Sipur Studios), in full cooperation with the official Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Those participating in the campaign include Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, Julianna Margulies, Michael Douglas, Billy Crystal, Mayim Bialik, Elizabeth Banks, Chelsea Handler, Zooey Deschanel, Mandy Moore, Helen Mirren, Claudia Oshry and many more.
It is the hope that the viral campaign will help to gain international support for the hostages and their families, and ultimately to expedite their release.
“This urgent campaign underscores the need for the international community to put pressure on the states that have influence with Hamas to free these individuals from captivity. It is vital that the world does not forget the faces of these innocent victims – they are the reason Israel continues to fight this war on terror and they are the reason the world must take a stand against this hatred and say NO MORE,” Bialik said in a statement.
Margulies also spoke out, declaring, “With every passing hour, the health and safety of each hostage becomes more tenuous. We hope this campaign brings their stories to life, offers the families solace knowing they aren’t alone, and moves us one step closer to their safe release. With each share, like, and comment of support, the world unites against terrorism and in support of peace.”
Read the original article here.
By: Patrick Hipes
UPDATED with campaign launch: Many of the Hollywood A-listers who earlier this month signed a letter calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken during an attack by Hamas have launched a campaign, #ReleaseTheHostagesNow, to raise awareness of the urgent issue.
The coalition, spearheaded by letter organizer Creative Community For Peace, former CBS boss Nina Tassler and Sipur Studios CEO Emilio Schenker, used their social media platforms to raise the profile of the 239 hostages still being held.
Participants included Helen Mirren, Michael Douglas, Billy Crystal, Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, Julianna Margulies, Mayim Bialik, Mandy Moore, Chelsea Handler, Sharon Osbourne, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Jerry O’Connell, Joshua Malina, Alyssa Milano, Chuck Norris, Phil Rosenthal, Dr. Phil, Dean Cain, Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Peck, Juliette Lewis, Howie Mandel, Marg Helgenberger, Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham, and Constance Zimmer.
The nonprofit CCFP said it was working with the cooperation of the official Hostages and Missing Families Forum on the outreach.“This urgent campaign underscores the need for the international community to put pressure on the states that have influence with Hamas to free these individuals from captivity,” Bialik said in the release announcing the initiative. “It is vital that the world does not forget the faces of these innocent victims – they are the reason Israel continues to fight this war on terror and they are the reason the world must take a stand against this hatred and say NO MORE.”
PREVIOUSLY, October 12: A letter signed by more than 1,000 members of the Hollywood community is calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas as part of their attacks on Israel.
Names including Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Michael Douglas, Greg Berlanti, Mayim Bialik, Gail Berman, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Lee Curtis, Antoine Fuqua, Bryan Freedman, Mark Hamill, Jenji Kohan, Howie Mandel, Sherry Lansing, Ziggy Marley, Debra Messing, Liev Schreiber, Amy Schumer and John Landgraf are among the swath of names among the signatories of the letter, which appeared on the website for the Creative Community for Peace.
The letter strongly denounced the “nightmare that Israelis have feared for decades,” and “calls on our friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry to speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.”
“My heart is aching for the lives lost and families shattered,” Gadot said in a statement. “I’m praying for everyone who has been affected by Hamas’ terrorism and brutality. And I hope that the world remains steadfast in their support of the Israeli people.”
The letter comes as Hollywood companies have began speaking out on the attacks, in which more than 1,300 have been killed to date and thousands more injured.
Earlier Thursday, a group of entertainment executives and producers teamed on a statement condemning the attacks. Several, including Haim Saban, Gary Barber, Ynon Kreiz and Rick Yorn, also signed the Creative Community for Peace letter.
“In the aftermath of the barbaric killing of more than 1,200 Israelis, we in the Hollywood community and around the world must stand with Israel as it defends itself against a terrorist regime in Gaza that seeks Israel’s destruction,” Saban said.
Read the new letter below and the full list of signatories here.
Read the original article here.
By : Anna Kaufman
Arye Ephrath lived a large portion of his first three years as someone else. Born in Slovakia on the day the first Jews in his town were ordered to train stations to be deported to Auschwitz, Ephrath has a unique story of survival.
He hid his religion by posing as the daughter of a Christian family, complete with a pink bow and the name Anna. His parents were sheltered by a separate family who had a large stack of hay in the backyard under which they dug a ditch to live for eight months. When the Red Army came to liberate Slovakia and Eprath was finally reunited with his parents, they barely recognized him.
Now, he spends his time educating others on the teachings of hatred that permitted the atrocities of the Holocaust. “I am perhaps one of the youngest of the survivors who was actually alive at the time − and the generation is disappearing,” he said. “It really is not just a need to tell the story but a duty.”
Though the Holocaust is arguably the most salient historical example of anti-Jewish hatred, it is only one concentrated instance of a prejudice that has existed for centuries. Antisemitism often twists and contorts into new forms as political and social discourse evolve, making it difficult to spot sometimes. At its core though, it is built on the same durable contempt and loathing.
Here is a primer on antisemitism and some examples of its manifestations in modern society.
What is antisemitism?
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), an intergovernmental organization founded to promote Holocaust education and remembrance, defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Though the term “antisemitism” was not coined until the 19th century, hatred of Jews dates back to ancient times. “Antisemitism has really taken many forms throughout history,” Ari Ingel, the director of Creative Community For Peace, a nonprofit that works to eradicate antisemitism in the entertainment industry said.
He added: “In the early days, Jews were seen as the Christ-killers. Under communism, Jews were the capitalists. Under Hitler and Nazis, Jews were the ultimate race polluters.”
Over the years, antisemitic sentiment has amounted to pogroms or violent, sometimes government-sponsored campaigns against the Jewish people. In the ancient world they were often incited by blood libels − rumors that Jews used children’s blood for ritual purposes, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum reports.
A long-held belief among Christians, particularly in Catholicism, that Jews were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, also wrought historic persecution. In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Spain, and during the Crusades Jewish people in Western Europe were targeted violently by Christian mobs.
The modern era has attached a more political dimension to that prejudice. Jews are often classified as ‘globalists’ and hatred of Jews can be couched as a distaste for liberal or cosmopolitan global political trends, which certain segments of the Jewish community have a rich history of supporting.
Antisemitism in America: A growing force
Each year the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) compiles a report on incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism or assault in America. In 2022, the ADL tracked a 36% increase in these instances from the previous year. The total stood at 3,697 − the highest number on record since the organization began tracking incidents in 1979.
“Antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine,” Dan Granot, the director of government relations at the Anti-Defamation League says. Hate works a bit like Russian Nesting dolls, prejudices often stack up inside one another. So where there’s antisemitism, there’s often white supremacy, xenophobia and other brands of prejudice.
As conspiracy theories have taken on greater importance in our politics in recent years, it’s no surprise that antisemitism is on the rise Granot says. “In many ways, antisemitism is a conspiracy theory. If you believe that on one hand, Jews are so powerful that they rule the world – they are in charge of every bank, and every government in a secret world order, but at the same time that they’re weak or subhuman,” he explains.
What does it mean for something to be antisemitic?
While a working definition like the one IHRA provides can be a helpful pillar to lean on, experts say manifestations of hate are constantly evolving.
“I think there’s a fundamental misunderstanding among most people of what antisemitism is, particularly because it’s such a unique form of hatred,” Granot says. What makes it so unique? It subscribes to what Granot calls “contradictory logic” that Jews are both “excessively powerful, but also that they’re weak or even subhuman.”
Not all antisemitism is Nazi symbolism and violent rhetoric, some of it is “soft-core” − a misplaced joke, or a harmful assumption − subtle and pernicious. Some common examples include stereotypes that all Jews are wealthy, or conversely that they’re stingy.
“In many ways, antisemitism like other forms of hate is a caricature of a people and it only looks at the most successful or the most visible and takes those characteristics and presumes that they exist across the entire people,” Granot says. “It oftentimes just disregards very clear and important historical aspects of the Jewish people that led them to be in certain industries.”
The important thing is to open up a conversation, to breed understanding, and to call out prejudice, Ingel says. “You get two Jews in a room you get 17 opinions, that’s the Jewish culture,” he jokes, “We have a lot of opinions we have a lot of debate … the Jews have thrived and survived because of that. It’s an inherently democratic people that are open to discussing things from all different angles.”
Are anti-Zionism and antisemitism connected?
Antisemitism has become more complicated in the 21st century with the creation of the state of Israel.
The Jewish state can sometimes be painted as a stand-in for Jews all over the world, some of whom have never been to Israel, have no family there, and feel no connection to it.
The “dual loyalties” trope is oft-pedaled in American politics, accusing Jews in the U.S. of having fealty to both Israel and the United States. When conflict breaks out, as it has between Israel and Hamas this past month, Jews are sometimes blamed or forced to defend the actions of the Middle Eastern country. They can be on the receiving end of harassment, veiled or explicit threats and violent acts.
IHRA’s definition covers this by listing, “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel” as an act of antisemitism.
In Charlottesville, terror took on new life
“One of the things about antisemitism is that it’s almost impossible if not impossible to defeat. Every generation it rears its head again,” Granot explains. That was on full display in August 2017, when crowds of white nationalists marched through the streets of Charlotteville, Virginia chanting “Jews will not replace us.” They were gathered to protest the removal of a Confederate statue.
Ephrath said he couldn’t believe his eyes when the videos began to surface of marchers armed with Tiki torches spewing hateful chants. “It left a very deep effect on me,” he said.
“America paid dearly in money and blood to rid the world of fascism in WWII, how can it be that not a generation later there are American citizens who dare march openly in an American city carrying swastika flags and chanting nazi slogans?” he said.
Antisemitism is both persistent and resilient
If antisemitism is both contextual and periodic, as Granot explains, it becomes all the more difficult to tamp out. It rises in times of political and economic uncertainty, he says.
When people are in search of a scapegoat, or an overarching conspiracy theory to explain something − the Jews are a frequent “fill in the blank.”
“When there is a lot of divisiveness, when there’s a lot of uncertainty like we’re seeing in America now, unfortunately, antisemitism seems to raise its ugly head,” Ingel says.
Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, Julianna Margulies, Michael Douglas, Billy Crystal, Mayim Bialik, Chelsea Handler, Zooey Deschanel, Mandy Moore, Helen Mirren Join #ReleaseTheHostagesNow Campaign: A Call To Action
Celebrities and influencers around the globe are taking to social media in a coordinated action to demand the immediate release of the now 239+ hostages currently held by Hamas
–If you are an entertainer, celebrity, or influencer and would like to be part of this project, please fill out the form here [LINK]–
LOS ANGELES (October 30, 2023) —Today, a coalition of celebrities launched a campaign to highlight the now 239+ innocent civilians currently held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The campaign, #ReleaseTheHostagesNow, was organized in part by Creative Community For Peace (CCFP), an entertainment industry non-profit organization; Nina Tassler (television executive and former Chairwoman of CBS Entertainment); and Emilio Schenker (CEO, Sipur Studios), in full cooperation with the official Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
The viral campaign, which has already gained significant attention, hopes to leverage entertainment leaders’ social media audiences to galvanize international support for the hostages and their families, and ultimately to expedite their release from captivity.
This campaign serves as a stark reminder of the terrorist attack suffered by Israel, emphasizing the urgent need for countries like Qatar and Turkey to press Hamas to release the hostages.
Entertainment leaders Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, Julianna Margulies, Michael Douglas, Billy Crystal, Mayim Bialik, Mandy Moore, Chelsea Handler, Sharon Osbourne, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Jerry O’Connell, Joshua Malina, Alyssa Milano, Chuck Norris, Phil Rosenthal, Dr. Phil, Dean Cain, Kristen Chenoweth, Josh Peck, Juliette Lewis, Howie Mandel, Marg Helgenberger, Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham, Constance Zimmer, Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis, and many others are among the hundreds of people using their platforms to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced. Calling upon people around the world to advocate for those who cannot share their own stories. Together, we must relentlessly fight for the freedom of these innocent civilians and demonstrate our solidarity in the face of such injustices.
Mayim Bialik shared, “This urgent campaign underscores the need for the international community to put pressure on the states that have influence with Hamas to free these individuals from captivity. It is vital that the world does not forget the faces of these innocent victims – they are the reason Israel continues to fight this war on terror and they are the reason the world must take a stand against this hatred and say NO MORE.”
Julianna Marguiles added, “With every passing hour, the health and safety of each hostage becomes more tenuous. We hope this campaign brings their stories to life, offers the families solace knowing they aren’t alone, and moves us one step closer to their safe release. With each share, like, and comment of support, the world unites against terrorism and in support of peace.”
The now 239+ kidnapped hostages represent the human toll of terrorism, and each participating celebrity and influencer is sharing a different image of an innocent person demanding their immediate release. Tragically, the official number of hostages continues to rise. Yet, due to the safety concerns for the hostages still in captivity, and the fluid situation, only the names and faces of the known victims are being shared.
CCFP Executive Director, Ari Ingel stated, “We must use every tool at our disposal to support these innocent victims of terror. These now 239+ hostages are from 25 different countries and range from toddlers who are just a few months old to Holocaust survivors in their late 80’s. Shamefully, posters of the kidnapped around the world have been torn down in antisemitic hatred. These are posters no one can tear down.”
The campaign calls on the world to stand against terrorism and to express unwavering support for the immediate release of these hostages.
For more information and to see all now 239+ hostage posts please visit: https://www.instagram.com/kidnappedfromisrael/
To stay up to date with Creative Community for Peace, sign up for our newsletters here: https://www.creativecommunityforpeace.com/join-the-mailing-list/
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The Creative Community for Peace also recognized entertainment attorney Aaron Rosenberg, Saban Music Latin CEO Gustavo Lopez and Epic Records president Ezekiel Lewis
BY: ESTHER D. KUSTANOWITZ
The Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) Ambassadors of Peace event is usually a joyous affair, with about 500 entertainment luminaries sipping cocktails, eating gourmet food and socializing. This year, the nonprofit, which promotes the arts as a bridge to peace, needed a tonal shift, due to the community’s grief over the brutal Hamas attacks in Israel earlier this month and the ensuing war between the terrorist group and the democratic Middle East state.
“We’re not going to let a terrorist attack cancel an event like this,” Ari Ingel, CCFP’s executive director, told Los Angeles before the event, adding that it was important for “people [to] understand the importance of ally-ship and standing with the Jewish community when it’s hurting so badly.”
“If you dehumanize and if you teach children to hate, terrible things can happen,” said CCFP CEO and co-founder David Renzer from the podium. “We’re all about coexistence. We’re all about the power of music and the arts tonight.”
The honorees, who received the Ambassador of Peace award sponsored by Cheryl and Haim Saban and Saban Music Group, were actor/director/producer Liev Schreiber, Epic Records president Ezekiel Lewis, Saban Music Latin CEO Gustavo Lopez, actress and ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees Kat Graham, and entertainment attorney Aaron Rosenberg (Jennifer Lopez, John Legend), whose speech managed to reference both Beyonce and Passover in the same breath.
The gathering took place in a private home in Beverly Hills. Among the attendees were: Endeavor Co-Founder Rick Rosen; Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz; Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.; Director Guy Nattiv; Warner Records CEO/Co-Chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck; Songwriter Diane Warren; Electronic Arts President of Music Steve Schnur; Epic Records Chairperson Sylvia Rhone; Capitol Music Group Chair & CEO Michelle Jubelirer; Comedian Elon Gold; Virgin Records President Jacqueline Saturn; Actresses Odeya Rush and Swell Ariel Or; and Atlantic Music Group Chairman/CEO Julie Greenwald.
Paying tributes to the honorees in video packages were Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, John Legend, Swizz Beatz, Meghan Trainor, Ciara, Ryan Seacrest, Haim Saban, Deepak Chopra and Justin Tranter, among others.
CCFP’s work started off a lot more music-centric, Ingel explained, focused on encouraging artists to continue to play in Israel despite pressure from the BDS (boycotts, divestments and sanctions) movement, which hoped to economically pressure Israel in response to the country’s treatment of Palestinians.
As boycotting became more aggressive and expanded to other areas of the arts, the organization expanded its vision: educating about antisemitism, and including film and television professionals in their efforts. After the attacks on October 7, CCFP gathered 700 entertainment industry professionals’ signatures for an open letter calling on the community to speak forcefully against Hamas, to not circulate misinformation and to use their platforms to urge the terrorist organization to return the civilian hostages.
Honorees all thanked their mentors, colleagues and families, sharing reflections on their careers and their passions — Lopez, for instance, spoke of a time when Latin music didn’t chart or get exposure. “It took many battles, a lot of passion, and a lot of people to believe [in Latin music],” Lopez said in accepting the award. “I was fortunate to be part of the early days of his development, the blossoming of our music but most important, the culture.”
He also made reference to the Hamas-inflicted violence. “Today we are here in the hopes of the horrific events of October 7 never ever repeat themselves in no place in our Earth,” Lopez said. “Join me for this to end soon and for peace to reign.”
“We are all ‘other’ in some way, shape or form,” Rosenberg said in his acceptance speech. “We have to strive to understand the differences; respect everyone’s rights to remain other and to be safe and secure in being other,” he said. “We cannot stand idly by, we cannot stay silent and allow the hate, terror and false propaganda of others to wipe Israel off the map from the river to the sea. Everyone, Israelis and Palestinians, everyone deserves a homeland where they’re free and safe to raise their children in peace and, God willing, to teach them to love and not to hate.”
“We are all God’s children, we were all created in His image,” said Yetta Kane, a Holocaust survivor and resistance fighter who presented Graham with her award. “Your image spreads the light wherever there’s darkness.”
Graham talked about her “deeply personal” fight against antisemitism; as a descendant of European Jews who fled during the Holocaust, she said, it was her responsibility to raise awareness about antisemitism, which she called “the Western world’s oldest and most pernicious prejudice. … Hatred has no place in this world. And it’s crucial that we all stand together against it. Art has a unique ability to transcend language and cultural barriers. It can and must foster empathy and encourage dialogue.”
“It’s not lost on me that I’m receiving an Ambassador of Peace Award in the midst of some of the darkest days of our history as a human family,” said Lewis following his intro from rapper and singer-songwriter will.i.am. “We must acknowledge the darkness in this day and that people are losing their lives as we speak… This room gives me hope because this room is a microcosm of what can be,” he added, “people from different ethnicities and backgrounds, all together in one place in the spirit of peace and understanding…know that I am in pain with you. Know that I am your friend. Know that I will continue to use music to help unite the world.”
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I was born in Montreal and raised in Toronto to a traditional French, Jewish and Moroccan family. My parents emigrated from Morocco with my older brother in tow in the mid- to late- 1960s. As with so many immigrant stories, they came with very little and built a life for themselves that enabled my siblings and me to want for nothing.
My parents left Morocco because it became unsafe for Jews, a place my family had lived for hundreds of years.
Jews lived in Morocco since 70 CE, after they fled there once the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and Jews were exiled from their homeland. A second wave emigrated to Morocco with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal starting in the late 1400s. Throughout the centuries, the Jews of Morocco faced periods of prosperity mixed with periods of severe persecution and pogroms, such as the Bloody Days of Fes in 1912, where 50 Jews were killed, and hundreds of their homes and shops were destroyed and damaged.
Despite being treated better in Morocco than in many other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, animosity towards the Jewish population increased after Moroccan independence in the 1950s, especially after the Six-Day War between Israel and the Arab countries in 1967. What was once a thriving community of over 350,000 Jews now consists of just 2,000 today, with most Moroccan Jews emigrating to Israel, Canada, France and the United States.
As a child growing up in a small town outside of Toronto, we were one of two Jewish families; the Levys and us, making us the only Sephardic family around. We celebrated the Sabbath every Friday, and during the winter months, it was my duty to race home, light the candles, plug in the electric water heater, turn the oven on low and get ready for Shabbat, which started so early at that time of the year.
Our family’s biggest fights were about going out on Friday nights and, in my older brother’s case, being unable to attend the concerts of his favorite bands because they fell on the High Holidays. At the time, being Jewish felt unfair and a burden on our social lives. But as the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them! And I did just that and invited my friends over on Friday nights to celebrate Shabbat with me.
My friends became obsessed with the soft challah bread and my mother’s amazing cooking. It was a win all around. I got to hang with my friends, and they got to enjoy delicious Moroccan cuisine.
Still, I had a rebellious streak and hated that I had to do anything without a say in the matter. Additionally, I cringed when my parents would talk about how Jews were hated in the world. It would drive me crazy, and I would tell them to stop exaggerating. It would be another 25 years until I finally understood what they meant.
Throughout my early life, being a Sephardic Jew was cool, even exotic. I never thought much about it. My friends accepted me, and when I came to Los Angeles, I was blessed with a wonderful career. I have played so many different nationalities, though never a Jew. I didn’t fit the stereotype of what a Jew looked like. My character in the television show “Entourage,” Sloan, was supposed to be half-Jewish, but I don’t think many people watching even knew that. Being Moroccan, though, I could play just about any other ethnic character.
Then two years ago, when the war erupted between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, antisemitism reared its ugly head on my social media feeds. I was truly faced with it for the first time. In the age of social media, antisemitic hate, conspiracy theories and misinformation were now rampant.
Throughout my career, I have publicly advocated on behalf of many causes. I am proud of this, and it has given my life a sense of meaning, to use the platform I was fortunate to have to help others.
Being an actor is very self-involved, so it felt good to give back and use my platform to amplify important causes and stand in solidarity with other persecuted groups. So, when Jews came under attack online and in the streets of Los Angeles and New York, I didn’t hesitate about advocating on behalf of my own people, but man, I was not ready for the backlash and absolute nastiness that ensued.
For the first time in my life, I understood what my parents meant. Many people in the world still hated Jews. But instead of retreating, instead of staying silent and avoiding the blowback, I got louder and prouder.
I never hid the fact that I was Jewish, but I took it a step further and started posting weekly about Shabbat. Not wanting to alienate anyone because I have incredible fans of all backgrounds, I posted about having a #happyfriday and #shabbatshalom. I made videos encouraging tolerance and speaking out against hate and injustice, including antisemitism.
Unfortunately, initially I noticed that speaking up against hate wasn’t always reciprocal. When it came to antisemitism, for some reason, Jews don’t always count. Hatred against Jews seemed up for debate.
Many people steer away from speaking out against Jew-hatred. Jews and non-Jews alike. It’s deemed a “touchy” and “confusing” subject. But to me, hate is hate, and it must be called out in all its forms whenever and wherever we see it!
Meanwhile, antisemitism continues to spiral out of control, whether that is Kanye West going “death con 3” on Jews or Jews being murdered at synagogues in Poway and Pittsburgh.
It breaks my heart to know that in America, there are more hate crimes per capita against Jews than any other minority, overwhelmingly more religious-based hate crimes against the Jewish people than any other religion, and more hate crimes against the Jewish people in New York City, where a majority of American Jews live, than any other minority.
But it also motivates me to keep fighting hate with love and to stand up proudly for who I am and who I was raised to be. As with most challenges, I see a silver lining. For the first time in my life, I am finally seeing the Hollywood Jewish community coming together, pride in being Jewish and allies coming forward and speaking up.
There are also organizations passionately and tirelessly educating and advocating about antisemitism. Two of my favorites that I am proud to be a part of are Creative Community for Peace, which comprises prominent members of the entertainment community who have come together to promote the arts as a bridge to peace and to educate about rising antisemitism within the entertainment industry, and the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance, a grassroots effort to bring the two communities together in solidarity, to support each other in their struggles, and to understand each other’s plight and narratives better.
It’s funny, for all the moaning, groaning and rebelling I did as a kid, I am now so grateful for the pride of being Jewish my parents instilled in me. It has given me strength of character and resilience to find success in the entertainment industry and stand up against hate.
I now look forward to celebrating Shabbat and lighting candles on Friday nights, and I have rarely worked on the High Holidays. It holds deep meaning for me and reminds me of who I am and where I came from. I know my parents looking down on me from above, would be proud. And who knows, maybe one day I will have the honor of making an incredible film where I can tell an important story and play a complex and fierce Jewish woman.
Emmanuelle Chriqui is an actor and activist.
This article is part of Variety’s Antisemitism and Hollywood package and was written before October.
Cover photo: Emmanuelle Chriqui at the Art Of Elysium’s 11th Annual Heaven Celebration held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, USA on January 6, 2018.Tinseltown
Read the original article here.
In a strong sign of support of Israel from Hollywood, more than 700 figures from the entertainment industry have signed an open letter to condemn Hamas and demand the safe return of hostages being held in Gaza.
The letter is the first major move from the entertainment industry, as Israel has been under attack.
Released by the nonprofit Creative Community for Peace, the letter has been signed by celebrities and Hollywood leaders including Gal Gadot, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Pine, Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, Amy Schumer, Michael Douglas, Jerry Seinfeld, Debra Messing, Ryan Murphy, Greg Berlanti, Haim Saban, Irving Azoff, Ynon Kreiz, Mark Hamill, Howie Mandel, Bella Thorne, Antoine Fuqua and more.
The open letter calls on the entertainment community at large to speak out forcefully against Hamas, to support Israel, to refrain from sharing misinformation about the war and to do whatever is in their power to urge Hamas terrorists to return hostages back to their families.
The letter comes as Israel has been under attack. On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise ambush, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza, brutally killing civilians in their homes and committing a massacre at a music festival for peace where 260 bodies were found. At least 1,200 people have died in Israel, and more than 100 civilians have been kidnapped and held hostage. Not since the Holocaust have this many Jews died in one single day. President Joe Biden has condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization, and has expressed unwavering support for Israel as it now retaliates in Gaza where at least 1,100 people have died.
Creative Community for Peace notes that “in addition to the 1,200+ Israelis murdered, citizens from the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Thailand, Nepal, Russia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Germany, Philippines, Chile, Brazil, Italy, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Ireland have been identified as either missing or killed.”
In a statement, Gadot said, “My heart is aching for the lives lost and families shattered. I’m praying for everyone who has been affected by Hamas’ terrorism and brutality. And I hope that the world remains steadfast in their support of the Israeli people.”
Saban said, “In the aftermath of the barbaric killing of more than 1,200 Israelis, we in the Hollywood community and around the world must stand with Israel as it defends itself against a terrorist regime in Gaza that seeks Israel’s destruction.”
Notable signatories include Bryan Lourd, Richard Lovett, Aaron Bay-Schuck, Jody Gerson, Ziggy Marley, Jenji Kohan, Zachary Levi, Jim Berkus, Andy Garcia, Tracey-Ann Oberman, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Howie Mandel, Eli Roth, Ryan Kavanaugh, Phil Rosenthal, George Lopez, Mekhi Phifer, Jason Alexander, Fred Savage, Ynon Kreiz, Dana Goldberg, Gail Berman, Steve Schnur, Sherry Lansing, Rick Rosen, Josh Greenstein, Rick Yorn, Kevin Yorn, Ben Silverman; Nina Tassler, Jeremy Piven, John Peck, Daniel Glass, Noa Tishby, Marty Singer, Chuck Liddell, Diane Warren and more. (Click here for the full list of signatories.)
In a separate letter published on Thursday by the National Council of Jewish Women, more celebrities voiced their support for Israel and demanded the immediate return of hostages from Hamas. Those signatories include Gadot, Messing, Schumer, Montana Tucker and Mandy Moore. “We urge all governments, international organizations and civil society groups to condemn these crimes and take action to help secure the release of hostages,” the letter states. “We urge the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others, to do everything within their power to get much-needed aid to hostages.”
Read below for the full open letter from the Creative Community for Peace:
The nightmare that Israelis have feared for decades became a reality as Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli cities and towns.
Under the cover of thousands of rockets fired indiscriminately into civilian populations, Hamas murdered and kidnapped innocent men, women, and children. They kidnapped and murdered infants and the elderly. They raped women and mutilated their bodies. They paraded their bodies through the streets and on social media, and cowardly attacked the Supernova Music Festival – bringing death and destruction to an event celebrating friendship and love.
This is terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas’ actions. These are barbaric acts of terrorism that must be called out by everyone. They are a terrorist organization whose leaders call for the murder of Jews everywhere.
CCFP calls on our friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry to speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.
As Israel takes the necessary steps to defend its citizens in the coming days and weeks, social media will be overrun by an orchestrated misinformation campaign spearheaded by Iran. We urge everyone to remember the horrific images that came out of Israel and to not amplify or fall for their propaganda.
Our thoughts are with all those experiencing unfathomable levels of fear and violence, and we hope for the day when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.
Read the original article here.
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
More than 700 entertainment industry professionals have signed an open letter voicing their support for Israel and condemning Hamas as fighting continues in the Middle East.
Gal Gadot, Amy Schumer, Mayim Bialik and Jerry Seinfeld were among those who signed the letter that was released on Thursday by nonprofit entertainment industry organization Creative Community For Peace.
Chris Pine, Liev Schreiber, Debra Messing and Mark Hamill were also among the signatories.
The letter calls on leaders of the entertainment industry to “speak out forcefully against Hamas and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organization to return the innocent hostages to their families.”
“This is terrorism. This is evil. There is no justification or rationalization for Hamas’ actions,” the letter continued.
Israel has reported at least 1,200 people were killed and thousands more injured in Hamas’ attacks over the weekend. Hamas is also holding as many as 150 people hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
At least 1,537 people — including 500 children and 267 women — have been killed since Israel started strikes on Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack last Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. An additional 6,612 people have sustained injuries, the ministry added.
The letter also included a warning urging public figures in the entertainment industry to “to refrain from sharing misinformation about the war,” and to avoid amplifying any “propaganda.”
“Our thoughts are with all those experiencing unfathomable levels of fear and violence, and we hope for the day when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace,” the letter concluded.