David Schwimmer addressed his Hollywood peers who are reluctant to get “political” in a rousing, impassioned speech at the Anti-Defamation League’s annual Never Is Now summit against antisemitism on Tuesday.
Rallying the crowd at New York City’s Javits Center, the “Friends” actor said now is the time to “stand up” and “speak out” against hatred and discrimination against the Jewish community — and that straightforward solidarity does not mean solving the conflict in the Middle East.
“I wish you would stand up. I wish you would speak out, because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, to folks who could use just a little solidarity right now from people they respect and look up to,” Schwimmer said in his seven-minute address while presenting the inaugural Heroes Against Hate Award.
“You don’t have to say anything political,” he continued. “Nobody’s asking you to solve the conflict in the Middle East. Just say that you stand with your Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbors against hatred and discrimination.”
Watch Schwimmer’s full speech in the video below, via the ADL:
Schwimmer, a longtime advocate for the Jewish community who has especially in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israeli civilians become a figurehead to advocacy efforts within Hollywood, said he knows that “speaking out often comes at a cost.” He shared that he has been threatened or abandoned for his own antisemitism advocacy in the past.
“But I’ve also found amazing moments of meaning and solidarity, and I want to remind you that there are so many good people out there who have our backs, incredible allies that we can we will get through this together, that our spirit is unbreakable, our joy is irrepressible,” he said.
That is when Schwimmer turned his attention to fellow Jews in Hollywood who have chosen to stay silent in the wake of rising antisemitism around the world.
“Some of them are doing a lot behind the scenes, privately and in their own way, but so many have chosen not to say anything publicly at all,” he said. “And if I can say something directly to them: I really wish you would.”
Tuesday marked Schwimmer’s return to the ADL’s Never Is Now conference after speaking on a panel with noted academic and author Michael Eric Dyson in 2022. This year’s event was held Monday and Tuesday in New York City and was hosted by Hen Mazzig. Gal Gadot gave the keynote address.
