Danielle Solzman
The Hollywood studios have begun speaking out and condemned the recent Hamas attacks and are standing with Israel.
Paramount Global was the first studio to release a public statement in a post on Instagram.
“Paramount Global condemns the terrorist attacks by Hamas. We stand with the people of Israel and the global Jewish community. We stand with all the innocent lives impacted. We stand with the children who deserve to be children. We stand united against all acts of terror and hate.”
According to Variety, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger sent a note to Disney’s Shalom BERG group, which consists of Jewish employees. In addition, a company-wide letter condemning the Hamas attacks on Israel was sent out by Disney’s global head of HR, Sonia Coleman.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also sent out a memo to WBD staff. He also wrote that the Warner brothers “believed it was their duty to shed light on injustice in the world.” It was under their leadership that the studio pulled out of Germany shortly after Hitler came to power. Other studios would follow but not until much later. They even reflected this position in their films. Some patriotic shorts included The Declaration of Independence, Give Me Liberty, and the Michael Curtiz-directed Sons of Liberty. It was a way to drum up patriotism and focusing on fighting Nazis. Of course, Confessions of a Nazi Spy was one of the first films calling out the Nazis to hit the big screen.
Haim Saban; Jeffrey Katzenberg; Eli Roth; producers Jonathan Glickman, Lawrence Bender, Roger Birnbaum and Rick Yorn; Spyglass Media Group chairman and CEO Gary Barber; UTA co-founder Jim Berkus; ICM Partners’ Chris Silbermann; Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, Paramount’s Brian Robbins; and executives Ben Silverman, Modi Wiczyk and Jason Hirschhorn released a joint statement (via Deadline):
“We denounce the brutal attacks by Hamas in Israel. These atrocities will have a devastating impact on future generations. We unequivocally stand in solidarity with Israel in the global fight against terrorism. Am Yisrael Chai.”
The Directors Guild of America released a statement this week as well:
“The DGA unequivocally condemns terrorism and joins the many voices in our community decrying the recent Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel and violence against innocent civilians,” the statement reads. “We stand against the growing spread of antisemitism here in the US and abroad, and remain committed in our actions, words and deeds to supporting the Jewish people.”
I wrote some brief comments on Sunday evening as soon as I got back online following the Jewish holiday weekend. Unfortunately, I received antisemitic messages from readers this past week. They said that my being Jewish, condemning Hamas, and standing in solidarity with Israel are a disqualification for support of my work. There is no place for antisemitism! I’m not a Netanyahu fan but I support a two-state solution but there is no pathway to peace with Hamas. They are a terrorist organization. After Israel pulled out from Gaza in 2005, it could have become an oasis but instead, Hamas decided that killing Jews and taking Jews hostage was more important than providing working infrastructure to the Gazan residents.
It’s only going to get worse before it gets better. Israel is expected to start a ground invasion soon. One can only hope that it is swift and decisive. Hamas is not a peace partner. There is no justification for their continual terror attacks on Israel. It’s unfortunate that innocent civilians will die in Gaza but this is what Hamas wants. They use civilians as a shield.
I’ll leave you with this: May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease and mankind never again knows war. Am Yisrael Chai.
