Hollywood talks about anti-Semitism at Variety Summit
“I’m glad to see you all here. The truth is, I wish we had met under better circumstances,” Matti Leshem began, introducing a panel on the current state of wartime anti-Semitism. of variety Hollywood & Anti-Semitism Summit hosted by Margaret & Daniel Loeb Foundation and Shine a Light.
Leshem, producer and founder of New Mandate Films, began the conversation by checking in with each panel member on their emotional state following the Hamas attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 civilians.
“I’m furious. I’m furious. I’m furious about a lot of things. I’m furious about the loss of life,” said Alana Newhouse, Tablet’s founder and editor-in-chief. I started talking. “I’m also furious at how surprised people are. If you’re surprised by what happened, you’re not following the right people. For the past 10 years, we’ve been talking about this slow and fast train. There are people who are.”
Leshem also introduced Greg Berlanti, a prolific producer whom Leshem called “Jewish people’s greatest ally.” Although Berlanti was raised Catholic, he found himself closely connected to the Jewish community while growing up.
“I thought, seriously, I’m not kidding, that I was Jewish. We celebrated everything, and everyone celebrated what we were celebrating,” Berlanti said, adding that he She said her husband decided to find a Jewish egg donor and are raising their children in the Jewish faith. “Through our children, we are part of the Jewish faith. This week has been a truly traumatic week. It has been very exciting and emotional. There are many people in this community who are suffering, who are in pain, and who are sometimes alone. It’s an interesting role for us to play in the sense of observing a lot of people who are feeling the same. We try to do our part for other people.”
“Resilience is like a Jewish story,” said David Cohan, creator and executive producer of Will & Grace. Told. “Knowing that there are just wars and unjust wars, and that this is a just war, and that we are on the side of justice, and that we will need resilience at the end of this, gives me a spine-chilling feeling. It will grow.”
Leshem also emphasized the importance of the entertainment industry’s ability as storytellers to combat anti-Semitism. I don’t know if I can come up with a practical solution at this point, but the Jews are the characters in this book. It doesn’t matter if you’re actually Jewish or not, because if you’re a storyteller, you’re attributing to that spirit on some level. ”
“In my limited experience, theater is doing a better job than TV and movies these days. But maybe that’s down my own path,” he said on the Netflix series “The Invention of Anna.” said actor Joshua Malina. “Last year, I was able to tell two substantive Jewish stories and roles in my career. ” I did it. This is a great comedy about two Jewish couples whose wives go to a yeshiva together. This is a clash of Jewish cultures that is both poignantly funny and deeply Jewish, dealing with many people. About the things that Tom Stoppard deals with in Leopoldstadt. ”
“I need stories that represent what I believe to be true. I need stories with characters I know and love and themes I believe in. That’s all I can say. I can’t speak more generally than that,” Cohan said.
“We’re all going to face more opposition than ever to this kind of story,” Berlanti said. “How can individuals tell their own specific stories to have more impact? Towns get very quiet… The first thing you need to do is to let the first wave of resistance get the better of you.” It’s about having the determination within yourself not to give up. Even if you had wanted to create a very specific Jewish story three months ago, it would have been difficult. I wonder how much resistance there will be in the future. Do you have it?”
