Hollywood Allies Are Essential for Combatting Antisemitism
18.10.2023 - 12:15
/ variety.com
Ted Deutch You can never have too many allies, especially when some are the biggest entertainers on the planet. I witnessed that in the aftermath of Feb. 14, 2018, when a gunman rampaged through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and murdered 17 people.
I was a member of Congress then and Parkland was in my district. The futile attempts to comprehend this heinous act, and the hours of hugs and tears, soon gave way to anger. That was channeled by student survivors just five weeks after the shootings to organize March for Our Lives rallies across the country.
Dozens of stars, including Lady Gaga, Amy Schumer and Lin-Manuel Miranda, elevated the rallies with their presence and some, like George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, with generous donations. Their presence and passion — matched by an indefatigable group of student activists — ushered in a wave of gun safety reforms across the U.S. The A-listers came because they cared.
They certainly didn’t need the publicity. I had seen this before on other issues I worked on including food insecurity, eating disorders and animal cruelty. The interest frome celebrities was not performative, but genuine and sustained.
I think back to those moments in my current role as CEO of American Jewish Committee (AJC), where combating antisemitism has been a top priority for 117 years. At a time when anti-Jewish hatred is on the rise across the globe, this scourge has not gone unnoticed by creators, networks and studios. In April, I was part of an antisemitism panel at CAA along with second gentleman Doug Emhoff and CAA co-chair Richard Lovett.