It’s trendier for celebrities to express anger about the Palestinian situation in the Gaza conflict than to support, or even take time to understand, Israel’s standpoint. This is the “pro-peace” crusade of the bullies of the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) campaign, a movement whose affectation is a “nonviolent pressure to end the Occupation,” but whose intimidation tactics include threatening the careers of celebrities in a drive for a cultural boycott of Israel. (BDS tactics include online coercion, threats to damage reputation, sabotage, and even violence and death threats.) Because celebrity statements generate media coverage and strongly influence popular opinion, BDS devotees pointedly pressure celebrities to their cause.
Celebrities who have followed the very fashionable trend of disparaging Israel include Roger Waters, Russell Brand, Meg Ryan, Wallace Shawn, Eddie Vedder, Selena Gomez, Mia Farrow, Emma Thompson, John Cusack, Kerry Washington, Cynthia Nixon, Rob Schneider, Zayn Malik,
Piers Morgan, Oday Aboushi, Madonna, John Legend, Dwight Howard, Elvis Costello, Jonathan Demme, Jon Stewart, Sinead O’Connor, Rosie O’Donnell, Brian Eno, and Anthony Bourdain.
But there are also Hollywood bigwigs standing up for Israel and against such bullying, and the counter-trend is picking up. “My name is Jon Voight and I am more than angry,” the actor wrote in an open letter in the Hollywood Reporter. “I am heartsick that people like Pen?lope Cruz and Javier Bardem could incite antisemitism all over the world and are oblivious to the damage they have caused.” Voight was responding to a letter from more than a hundred Spanish artists, including Cruz and Bardem, accusing Israel of “genocide” in its assault against Hamas militants.
In addition to Voight, who has been a consistently staunch supporter of Israel for years, there have been more and more A-list entertainers brave and critical-thinking enough to defy the cultural bullying by performing in Israel, including The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Alicia Keyes, and Justin Timberlake.
Ronald S. Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), recently condemned a request by a group of actors led by Danny Glover for an all-out cultural boycott of Israel. “It is time for Hollywood–actors, producers, and others–to speak out against those within their own ranks who demonize Israel and thus fan the flames of antisemitism in America and beyond,” Lauder said. “We call on America’s film industry to speak out against the growing campaign to boycott the Jewish state. Just like antisemitism, unfair criticism of Israel should be condemned. It is time that those in Hollywood who stand with Israel come forward and speak out against the calls to boycott the only democratic country in the Middle East.”
Most recently, nearly 200 celebrities signed a petition in support of Israel, including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Aaron Sorkin, Ivan Reitman, Seth Rogen, Kelsey Grammer,
Ziggy Marley, Roseanne Barr, Mayim Bialik, Tom Arnold, Sarah Silverman, Minnie Driver, Omri Casspi, Josh Charles, Scooter Braun, Benji Madden, Joel Madden, Bill Maher, and Kathy Ireland.
Other celebrities with the courage to disregard the barrages of intimidation and blackmail include Scarlett Johansson, Robert DeNiro, Howard Stern, Neil Young, Ashton Kutscher, Jon Lovitz, Joan Rivers, Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres, Gene Simmons, Jackie Mason, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jesse Eisenberg, Russell Simmons, Vanessa Williams, Tom Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Pellegrino, David Guetta, and Charlie Daniels.
By Lisa Matkowsky
