Over a hundred celebrities have signed an open letter in , the director who used the platform of his
Oscars acceptance to make a statement about the ongoing . (“Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?” he said in his speech.) The letter of support includes signatures from prominent
Hollywood figures like Debra Winger, Elliot Gould, David Cross, Wallace Shawn, Joaquin Phoenix, Ilana Glazer, and Abbi Jacobson, among others. The letter, which can be read in full over at , states in part, “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 letter continues, “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 a statement to the outlet, said, “I signed this letter to help counter the climate of silencing that many workplaces and industries are facing around Israel’s war on Gaza, now entering its seventh month. This controversy surrounding Jonathan Glazer is just one example.” She is joined in signing the letter by high-profile signatories like filmmakers Joel Coen, Todd Haynes, Lenny Abrahamson, Boots Riley, Nicole Holofcener, Mike Leigh, Ira Sachs, Janicza Bravo, Miranda July, and Emma Seligman as well as actors like Kate Berlant ( ), Lola Kirke ( ), Tavi Gevinson ( ), Chloe Fineman ( ), Ariela Barer ( ), Dan Bucatinsky ( ), Noah Galvin ( ), Hari Nef ( ), Sarah Ramos ( ), and more. This open letter comes after weeks of debate and condemnation of Glazer’s speech. A fair amount of criticism came from —deliberate or otherwise—of Glazer’s remark that “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.” The intention of his words was pared down by some to mean that Glazer was unequivocally “refuting [his] Jewishness,” rather than his desire not to have his identity used as an excuse for continued
Israeli aggression. In the wake of the speech, Noa Tishby ( ) told , “Glazer’s shocking attempt to blame global issues on his Jewishness and the Holocaust reveals the significant disconnect present among some in Hollywood.” The backlash consolidated in an signed by Tishby and others—including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Debra Messing, Tovah Feldshuh, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Eli Roth, Julianna Marguiles, and more—which denounced Glazer’s speech. “We refute our Jewishness being hijacked for the purpose of drawing a moral equivalence between a Nazi regime that sought to exterminate a race of people, and an Israeli nation that seeks to avert its own extermination,” that letter read. It was reported that the open letter gained over 1,000 signatures of Jewish creatives, though that there was an easily accessible
Google Form and no vetting process to add one’s name. (At least one fake name, “Riverto Thesea,” was identified.) The conflict in Gaza has become one of the most polarizing issues in Hollywood (and certainly beyond). In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack on October 7, those who spoke up on behalf of Palestinians faced career consequences, including Susan Sarandon being dropped from UTA and the resignation of A-list CAA agent Maha Dakhil. Perhaps most prominently,
Actor was fired from the movies after sharing posts on
Social Media that accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” production company Spyglass said in a statement that her posting “flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.” On the other hand, there has been growing support for the Palestinian cause—or at least for an end to violence—as the conflict continues. More than 200 artists (including
Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón,
Selena Gomez, Janelle Monáe, Lupita Nyong’o, Jenna Ortega, Mahershala Ali, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo,
Jennifer Lopez, Rachel McAdams, and more) signed an urging President
Joe Biden to “call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.” Many of these artists wore Artists4Ceasefire pins on the red carpet during awards season and elsewhere to show their support. , one of that letter’s signatories, has been vocal about calling for a ceasefire and contributing aid to Gazans; during his recent hosting gig, he recited a prayer that included a plea to “Please stop the suffering. Stop the violence. Please free the people of Palestine, please. And please free the hostages, all the hostages, please.” Currently, is organizing an auction in support of Medical Aid for Palestinians, with participants including Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi, Imelda Staunton, Brian Cox, Josh O’Connor, Joseph Quinn, Karen Gillan, Aisling Bea, Nicola Coughlan, Annie Lennox, and more. Jonathan Glazer, who has not commented publicly since making his speech, has donated signed posters to the event.