On Thursday, the Genesis Prize Foundation, which awards what it calls the “Jewish Nobel,” said it was “very saddened” that the Israeli-American actress would not take part in the ceremony. The foundation said that Portman’s representative notified it that “[r]ecent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel” and that “she cannot in good conscience move forward with the ceremony.”
The Genesis Prize Foundation cancelled the prize ceremony, saying in a statement that its organizers “fear that Ms. Portman’s decision will cause our philanthropic initiative to be politicized, something we have worked hard for the past five years to avoid.” — www.jta.org/...
Portman is an Israeli citizen and was born in Jerusalem.
As for the “recent events” she referred to, it is likely the fact that last Friday, as they have for three weeks in a row, Israeli snipers have shot hundreds of protesters in Gaza.
Earlier this year, two activists who convinced Lorde to cancel a concert in Israel were sued under an Israeli law that makes it a crime to call for a boycott of Israel.
Thirty-seven American Jews were arrested across the United States last week in a series of actions outside the offices of major Jewish institutions and elected officials to protest the ongoing violence against Palestinians at the Israel-Gaza border.
The actions, organized by the Jewish-American group IfNotNow, took place in Boston, New York, Twin Cities, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and Washington DC, where young Jews demanded statements condemning Israeli violence against the unarmed protesters taking part in the “Great Return March.” Since the march began three weeks ago, Israeli snipers have killed over 30 Palestinians and wounded 1,200 more. — mag.com/...
Just as it has with guns, consistent activism have begun to change views towards the Israeli government as well.
Durham, North Carolina Becomes First U.S. City to Bar Police From Training in Israel
'The Israeli Defense Forces and the Israel Police have a long history of violence and harm against Palestinian people and Jews of Color,' according to the petition brought to Durham's City Council. [...]
The council “opposes international exchanges with any country in which Durham officers receive military-style training since such exchanges do not support the kind of policing we want here in the City of Durham,” reads the statement, which the council approved in a 6-0 vote Monday night. — www.haaretz.com/...
— @subirgrewal