Movies

David Schwimmer, 200 other stars sign scathing letter blasting Motion Picture Academy for ‘antisemitism’

By
Social Links for Michael Starr
Published Jan. 9, 2024, 1:22 p.m. ET

An advocacy group is blasting the Motion Picture Academy for its “inclusion effort that excludes Jews” — claiming it’s “steeped in antisemitism and misunderstands it.”

A letter to the Motion Picture Academy from the JITC Hollywood Bureau for Jewish Representation — “the first and only Jewish Hollywood bureau,” launched in 2021 and founded by Allison Josephs — claims its inclusion policy “erases Jewish peoplehood and perpetuates myths of Jewish whiteness, power, and that racism against Jews is not a major issue or that it’s a thing of the past.”

The letter has been signed by over 200 people, including David Schwimmer, Tiffany Haddish, Julianna Margulies, Michael Rapaport, Debra Messing, Ginnifer Goodwin and Marta Kauffman.

In August, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences amended its “Representation and Inclusion Standards” for the 96th Oscars, airing March 10 on ABC.

Debra Messing speaks in Washington, DC, Nov. 14 during the March for Israel on the National Mall. WireImage

Regarding lead actors or “significant supporting actors from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups,” the academy included, among others, African American/Black/African and/or Caribbean descent; East Asian; Hispanic or Latina/e/o/x; Indigenous Peoples; Middle Eastern/North African; and Southeast Asian.

“Jewish people being excluded from the Motion Picture Academy’s Representation and Inclusion Standards is discriminating against a protected class by invalidating their historic and genetic identity,” the letter states.

“This must be addressed immediately by including Jews in the Motion Picture Academy’s Representation and Inclusion Standards.”

The Motion Picture Academy has come under fire from a Jewish advocacy group for its inclusion efforts “that excludes Jews,” according to the group. Bill Eppridge/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Other signees of the letter include Brett Gelman, Iliza Shlesinger, Elon Gold, Josh Dallas, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Mark Feuerstein.

“While many mistakenly believe that Judaism is only a religion, Jews are actually an ethnic group, with a varied spiritual practice that not all observe,” the letter says. “All marginalized groups have white-passing members, which doesn’t negate that Jews are an indigenous people to the Middle East with a continuous presence there for over 3,000 years.

“Antisemitic incidents are at an all-time high, with an increase of 400 percent since October 7, with Jews already being the most attacked minority group in the US per capita … online vitriol has also taken Jew hatred to a new level.”

Juliana Margulies, here last month at the Museum of Jewish Heritage -- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, has been outspoken about Jewish rights.
Juliana Margulies, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, has been outspoken about Jewish rights. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Tiffany Haddish added her name to the more than 200 people who signed the JITC letter to the Motion Picture Academy.
Tiffany Haddish added her name to the more than 200 people who signed the JITC letter to the Motion Picture Academy. John Salangsang/Shutterstock

This is not the first time the Motion Picture Academy has come under fire regarding inclusiveness in one form or another.

In 2015, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, created by activist/writer April Reign, went viral when, out of 20 actors nominated that year, none were people of color.

Since then, the academy has tried to rectify that situation with its inclusivity policies.

“There is a duty for the entertainment world to do its part in disseminating whole and human depictions of Jews, to increase understanding and empathy in viewers in these dangerous times,” the letter says.

“We ask the Motion Picture Academy leadership to do its part in advertising a just cause that has been ignored for too long.”