More than 450 Jewish creatives, executives and other Hollywood professionals have signed an open letter denouncing the speech “Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer made while accepting the Oscar for Best International Feature.
Glazer’s speech included comments on Israel-Hamas war and what he said was a misuse of Jewish identity and the history of the Holocaust.
The signees include Debra Messing, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Amy Pascal, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Eli Roth and Sherry Lansing. Many of the signees have signed other open letters in support of Israel following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Many observers have focused on a particular line from Glazer’s speech: “We stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.” Some have taken that to mean that he was refuting his Jewishness, though “refute” in the statement refers to “being hijacked.”
The group behind the open letter invoked Glazer’s Oscars night language in the open letter with the line, “We refute our Jewishness being hijacked for the purpose of drawing a moral equivalence between a Nazi regime that sought to exterminate a race of people, and an Israeli nation that seeks to avert its own extermination.”
It continues, “The use of words like ‘occupation’ to describe an indigenous Jewish people defending a homeland that dates back thousands of years, and has been recognized as a state by the United Nations, distorts history. It gives credence to the modern blood libel that fuels a growing anti-Jewish hatred around the world, in the United States, and in Hollywood.”
Glazer, however, has received support from other high-profile Hollywood personalities, including applause at the Academy Awards themselves following his speech. Among others, “Poor Things” star Mark Ruffalo enthusiastically applauded. At the same time, the film’s own executive producer Danny Cohen is among those who’ve spoken against Glazer’s comments.
Glazer’s Oscars speech also referred to both the victims of the Hamas attack and of the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza. “Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?” Glazer said.
Read the full letter and see those who have signed onto it thus far, below:
We are Jewish creatives, executives and Hollywood professionals.
We refute our Jewishness being hijacked for the purpose of drawing a moral equivalence between a Nazi regime that sought to exterminate a race of people, and an Israeli nation that seeks to avert its own extermination.
Every civilian death in Gaza is tragic. But Israel is not targeting civilians. It is targeting Hamas. The moment Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders is the moment this heartbreaking war ends. This has been true since the Hamas attacks of October 7th.
The use of words like “occupation” to describe an indigenous Jewish people defending a homeland that dates back thousands of years, and has been recognized as a state by the United Nations, distorts history.
It gives credence to the modern blood libel that fuels a growing anti-Jewish hatred around the world, in the United States, and in Hollywood. The current climate of growing antisemitism only underscores the need for the Jewish State of Israel, a place which will always take us in, as no state did during the Holocaust depicted in Mr. Glazer’s film.
A.M. Driver – SAG
Aaron Erol Ozlevi – Director
Aaron Fishman – DGA Producer / Director
Adam Berkowitz – Manager/Producer/Strategic Advisor
Adam Friedman – Creative Artists Agency
Adam Goldworm – Manager/Producer
Adam Kulbersh
Adam Newman
Adam Rosenberg
Adam Waltuch – TelevisaUnivision
Alan R. Cohen – WGA
Alex Anhalt – Sugar23
Alex Foster
Alex Horn – Author and Editor
Alex Lebovici – Producer
Alex Litvak – WGA Writer
Alex Meitner
Alida Michql – AEA
Alissa Vradenburg
Aliza J. Sokolow
Allan Spielman – RETRO69, WOODTSOCK TRIBUTE MUSICIAN AND COMPOTER DEVELOPER
Allison Lahav
Ally Shuster Agent
Alon Aranya
Alyssa Hill – WGA Screenwriter
Amanda Markowitz – SAG/AFTRA, PGA
Amy Engelberg – WGA
Amy Pascal – Producer
Amy Sherman-Palladino – WGA / DGA Writer/director/producer
Amy Straus – WGA Writer
Andrea Barros
Andrea Cayton
Andrew Avner
Andrew Stearn – PGA Producer
Anna April-Ross
Annie Wood – WGA/SAG/AFTRA Actor/Writer/Artist
Ari Ackerman
Ari Arad
Ari Frenkel – SAG Actor / Filmmaker
Ariel Nishli
Ariel Vromen – DGA Filmmaker
Ariella Blejer – WGA
Ariella Noveck
Ariyela Wald-Cohain – CDG 892 COSTUME DESIGNER
Art Levitt
Asher Weinberger
Avi Liberman – SAG/Aftra
Avital Levy
Avital Onn – Shachar Business Affairs
Aviva Pressman – AEA, SAG
Avram Butch Kaplan – DGA Jamsea Productions, Inc
Barbara Garshman – WGAE Garshman Productions LLV
Barbara Heller – SAG Actor writer producer
Barbara Lazaroff – ASID Commercial designer, restaurateur, businesswoman
Barbie Kligman – WGA
Barry Schkolnick – WGA Writer/Producer/Creator
Bart Coleman
Batia Parnass – SAG AFTRA
Becky Tahel – PGA, SAG-E Producer, Writer, Actress
Ben Cosgrove – CEO, Leviathan Productions
Ben Levin – LINK Entertainment
Ben Mor – DGA Director
Ben Younger – WGA/DGA
Benjamin Gober
Benjamin Rapoport
Bess Kargman – DGA Director
Beth Milstein – WGAW Writer
Betsy Borns – WGAW Writer/Producer
Bill Freiberger – WGA Writer
Bob Bookman
Bob Kushell – WGA
Bonnie Greenberg – Music supervisor/producer/professor
Bradley J. Fischer- Producers Guild of America Producer
Brett Gelman – Actor and Writer
Brett Gursky – Writer / Director / Producer
Brian Frazer
Brian Liebman
Bruce Burger – Music Producer and Recording Artist, RebbeSoul
Bruce Franklin – DGA Producer
Bruce Goldstein – The Cat in Manhattan
Bruce Resnikoff
Caitlin Gold – Producer
Cameron Curtis
Carin Sage – EVP, Feature Film, Skydance Prods
Carl Schwaber – SAG-AFTRA
Carmi Zlotnik
Carolyn Newman
Caryn Osofsky – SAG SAG actress and director
Chava Floryn – Filmmaker/Actress Twin Rose Media
Chuck Slavin – SAG-AFTRA Actor
Cindy Kaplan
Claudine Jakubowicz – Film Producer
Clifford J. Green – WGAW Screenwriter
Cory Richman – Manager / Liebman Entertainment
Craig Emanuel – Entertainment Executive
Craig Singer – p.g.a. Producer
D.M. Harring – WGA
Dan Adler
Dan Birnbaum
Dan Kaufman – VFX Supervisor/VFX Producer
Dan Marshall – SAG-AFTRA
Dan Redfeld – AFM Local 47 Composer
Dan Signer – WGA
Dana Min Goodman
Dani Menkin
Daniel Alcheh – SCL
Daniel Grindlinger – WGA Writer
Daniel Kaufman – DGA Director
Daniel Lehrer – WGA Writer
Daniel Rosenberg – WGAE
Daniella Rabbani – SAG AFTRA AEA Actor
Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick – CSA Casting Director
Danna Rosenthal
Danny Manus Writer – Script Consultant
Danny Weiss – WGA
Dave Chameides – Local 600 and DGA Camera Operator
David Abrookin
David Bickel – WGA Writer/Producer
David Brandes – WGA writer
David Fury – WGA/DGA/SAG-AFTRA Round Swamp Entertainment
David Grae – WGA
David Haring
David Kekst
David Kendall – WGA/DGA
David Kohan – WGA Writer-Producer
David Lipper – SAG Actor, writer, director, producer
David N. Weiss – WGA Writer-Director
David Price – TV Academy Executive Producer
David Renzer – Creative Community for Peace
David S. Rosenthal – WGA
David Shore – WGAW DGA
David Zabel – WGA
Debi Pomerantz
Deborah Marcus
Debra Messing – SAG/AFTRA Actor/Producer
Deena Stern – Entertainment Marketing Executive
Dena Roth – Ampas Set decorator
Dena Waxman – Executive Producer / Writer
Diane Robin Sag
Diego Chojkier
Doug Mankoff – Producer
Eitan Chitayat – Creative Director
Eli Roth – Director/Screenwriter
Eli Steele – Producer
Elin Hampton – WGA/SAG-AFTRA Round Swamp Entertainment
Ellie Kadosh – Actress
Elon Gold – WGA SAG/AFTRA Comedian/Actor/Writer
Elyssa Nicole Trust
Emmanuelle Chriqui – SAG Actor
Erez Rosenberg – Attorney / Partner at Jackoway Austen et al
Eric Feig – Entertainment Attorney
Eric Fineman
Eric Tuchman – WGA writer-producer
Estelle Lasher
Esther Netter
Evan Silver – DGA Director / Writer
Fernando Szew
Franklyn Gottbetter – DGA Producer
Fred Raskin – ACE Film Editor
Frederic Richter
Gabriela Tscherniak – DGA Director
Gail Berman – PGA Producer
Gail Goldberg – CSA Casting Director
Gail Katz PGA – Producer
Gary Barber – Spyglass Media Group
Gary Gilbert – Gilbert Films
Geoff Silverman – Producers the Cartel Literary Management
Geoffrey Cantor – SAG-AFTRA Actor
George Gallagher – SAG-AFTRA
Gil Goldschein
Ginette Rhodes – SAG AFTRA AEA
Golan Ramraz – writer/producer
Gregg Simon – DGA Director
Guri Weinberg – SAG/AFTRA Actor
Hank Steinberg – WGA / DGA Writer / Director / Producer
Hannah Louise Shearer – WGAW Writer
Hannah Tuber
Hawk Koch – PGA, DGA, AMPAS Producer
Heshy Rosenwasser – Musician and songwriter / The Hesh Inc.
Hope Levy – Sag Aftra Actress
Howard Michael Gould – Writer
Howard Reichman – Producer/director
Howard Rosenman- SAGAFTRA MOVIE & TV PRODUCER
Iddo Goldberg – SAG Actor
Ilana Wernick – WGA Writer-Producer
Inbal B. Lessner- ACE Executive Producer/Editor
Inon Shampanier – WGA
Ivan Menchell – Writers Guild Writer/Producer
Jacey Stamler – 705 Wardrobe Supervisor
Jack Plotnick – SAG/AFTRA Actor
Jacob Fenton – UTA Agent
Jaime Becker
Jaime Eliezer Karas – DGA
James Beaman – SAG/AFTRA Actor/Writer
Jamie Bialkower
Jamie Denbo – WGA, SAG-AFTRA CO-EP Grey’s Anatomy
Jamie Elman- SAG, WGA YidLife Crisis
Jan Oxenberg- WGA
Jared Sleisenger
Jarred Weisfeld – Publishing
Jason A. Kessler – WGA Screenwriter
Jason Newman – Manager / Untitled Entertainment
Jason Venokur- WGA
Jay Kogen – wga, dga, sag-aftra WRITER/Producer/Director
Jay Shore
Jeff Astrof – WGA Writer/Showrunner
Jeff Fierson – PGA Producer
Jeff Greenberg – Gersh
Jeff Handel
Jeff Rake – WGA Writer/Showrunner
Jeffrey Braer – Former SAG/AFTRA Independent Writer/Producer & Theme Park Developer
Jenn Levine – Writer / Producer
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Maisel – WGA Playwright/Screenwriter
Jennifer Shakeshaft – SAG
Jennifer Smith – GMS (Guild Of Music Supervisors) Music Supervisor
Jeremy Aluma – SDC Theatre Director & Producer
Jeremy Drysdale – WGA Screenwriter
Jeremy Elice – Writer
Jeremy Garelick – dga / wga
Jeremy Garelick – WGA/DGA
Jeremy Goldscheider – Producer
Jeremy Lehrer-Graiwer – WGA Writer
Jeremy Padow – Screenwriter
Jerry Weil – SAG-AFTRA Actor
Jessica Leventhal – WGA
Jessica Switch – PGA Producer
Jill Kargman – WGA/SAG
JJ Adler Dga – Director
Jo LaMond – WGA
Joanie Leeds – Recording Academy
Jodi Fleisher – SAG/Aftra Actor
Jodi Lieberman – Talent Manager
Joe Pearlman
Joe Weisberg
Joel Fields – WGA
Joel H. Cohen – WGA
Joel Michaely
Joelle Boucai – WGA
Joey Jupiter-Levin – SAG/Aftra Fi-Core Actress
John Altman
John Fogelman
Jon Polk
Jon Weinbach – President, Skydance Sports
Jonah Platt – WGA, SAG
Jonathan Baruch
Jonathan Herman – WGA
Jonathan Jakubowicz – Wga Writer & Director
Jonathan Prince – WGA, DGA, SAG
Jonathan Rosen
Jonny Caplan – WGA Impossible Media
Jonny Umansky – WGA Screenwriter
Jordan Roberts – SAG-AFTRA Actor & Producer, Content Creator
Josh Schaer – WGA TV writer / producer
Josh Silver – Personal manager
Joshua Katz – WGA
Josie Davis – SAG/AFTRA
Judie Aronson – SAG-AFTRA
Judy Gols – Sag/Aftra, WGA, Actors Equity
Julianna Margulies – SAG-AFTRA Actor
Julie D. Holman – WIFT Independent film, Director, writer, and producer
Justin Arnold – SAG-AFTRA Actor
Kadia Saraf – SAG and WGA-E Actor and Writer
Karen Morse – WGA Screenwriter
Kate Cohen – DGA, PGA Producer/Director
Keetgi Kogan Steinberg – WGA Writer/Producer/Showrunner
Keith Eisner – WGA Showrunner
Ken Hertz – Hertz Lichtenstein Young & Polk
Keren Hantman – 1st AD
Kevin Asch
Kevin Bright – DGA Producer/Director
Kimberly Wallis- SAG/AFTRA Actor
Kory Lunsford – Producer
Lana Melman – Authors Guild Writer
Lanie Siegel
Laurie Israel – WGA, TAG
Laurie Seidman – Producers Guild Producer
Lawrence Bender- Producer
Lea Porter – The Beverly Hills Estates
Leah Gottfried
Lee Broda – SAG and PGA Producer and actress
Lee Trink
Lee Weinberg – Weinberg Gonser LLP
Leo Pearlman
Leonard Dick
Leslie Belzberg – AMPAS, PGA Self Employed
Leslie Schapira – WGA Writer/Producer
Lev L. Spiro – DGA Director
Limor Gott – Producer
Linda Burstyn – WGA
Lior Rosner – ASCAP Rosner Music Inc.
Liron Artzi
Lisa Edelstein – SAG/AFTRA, DGA, WGA Actor, director, writer
Lisa Ullmann – Producer and Social Impact
Loni Steele Sosthand – WGA Writer, Producer
Lori Alan SAG-AFTRA – Actress/producer/writer
Lorin Green
Loris Kramer Lunsford – Producer
Lynn Harris – PGA:AMPAS Producer
Lynn Roth – WGA, DGA Writer/Director/Producer
M.J. Kang – WGA, SAG-AFTRA Writer, Actor
Mandana Dayani
Mandy Mitchell – Wardrobe Stylist
Marc Guggenheim – WGA, DGA, PGA, Animation Guild Writer/Producer
Marci Liroff – AMPAS Intimacy Coordination
Marcus J Freed – SAG-e
Margrit Polak – Talent Manager
Mark Feuerstein – SAG, DGA, WGA Actor
Mark Moskowitz – Producer
Mark Pellegrino – SAG Actor
Mark Reisman – WGA
Mark Schiff
Marni Flans
Marty Adelstein – PGA Tomorrow Studios
Matt Ritter – SAG Screenwriter/Producer/Actor
Matthew Hiltzik
Matthew Salsberg – wga writer producer
Matti Leshem – WGA Writer, Producer
Max Jacoby
Maya Lasry
Melissa Byer- WGA
Melissa Center – Actor, Filmmaker
Melissa Greenspan – Sag-aftra
Melissa Rosenberg – WGA Showrunner
Melissa Zukerman
Menachem Silverstein – Comedian
Micha Liberman – 700 editors guild Owner Mind Meld Arts
Michael Auerbach
Michael B. Kaplan – WGA
Michael Berns – WGA Writer/Producer
Michael Borkow – WGA
Michael Diamond – Talent Manager / MGMT Entertainment
Michael Glouberman
Michael Konyves
Michael Lewis – Agent
Michael Malone
Michael Pelmont – Manager
Michael Rapaport – Actor/Disruptor
Michael Robertson Moore
Michael Sobel
Michal Schick
Micky Levy – WGA Writer/Director
Mikhail Nayfeld – Heroes and Villains Entertainment
Mimi Steinberg – Writer/producer
Miranda Bailey – Sag – pga – academy member Cold iron pictures
Mitchell Akselrad – WGA
Montana Tucker
Moran Atias – SAG Actress producer
Nancy Cohen – WGA Writer/Producer
Nancy Spielberg – Producer
Natalie Marciano – President/ Producer
Natalie Shampanier – WGA
Nathan Firer
Neil A. Cohen
Nick Greene – SAG
Noa Tishby – SAG Author
Noam Ash – Writer, actor
Odeya Rush
Omri Lahav
Ophira Dagan – Producer
Oren Safdie – WGA ST. OLAF COLLEGE
Ori Elon Shtisel- Screenwriter
Pam Reynolds – AMPAS / Executive branch Amazon MGM Studios
Pamela Davis – WGA
Patrick Moss – WGA
Paul A Mendelson – WGGB Screenwriter and author
Paul Weitzman – Literary Agent
Peter Lenkov – WGA
Phyllis Strong – WGA
Po Kutchins – Showrunner
Rabbi David Wolpe – Sinai Temple/ Harvard U
Rabbi Marvin Hier
Rabbi Steve Leser – Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Rabbi Yonah Bookstein
Rachel Kamerman – Art Directors Guild local #800
Rachel Kaplan – PGA
Rachel Seymour
Rahman Daneshgar
Rakefet Abergel- SAG AFTRA
Rami Rivera Frankl – DGA
Raphael Margules
Raymond Leon Roker – Creator
Rebecca Mall – CMO
Rebecca Thomas – Agent
Rena Strober – Sag-Aftra Actor
Rhonda Price
Rina Mimoun – WGA
Rinat Arinos
Rob Kutner – WGA Writer-Producer
Rob Lee PGA
Robert Kaplan
Robert Lantos – PGA Producer
Robert Rovner- WGA Writer/Producer
Robin Lippin – Local 399 and CSA casting director
Robyn Bluestone
Rochel Saks – Manager
Rod Lurie – DGA, WGA
Roger Kumble – WGA
Ron Rappaport – WGA
Ron West- Thruline Entertainment
Rona Geller
Ross Greenberg
Ross Novie – DGA Director / 1st AD
Rosser Goodman – PGA Circle Content
Rotem Alima – Executive Producer
Ryan Guiterman – Writer-Director
Salvador Litvak
Sam Feuer – SAG/AFTRA Actor/Producer
Sam Sandak – WGA Writer / Producer
Sam Wasserman – Producers Guild, Academy of Television Producer
Samantha Ettus – Founder, 2024 New Voices
Sami Kolko – SAG AFTRA Actor / Producer
Sammy Horowitz – WGA Writer
Samuel Franco – WGA
Sarah Afkami – WGA Writer
Sari Sanchez – SAG-AFTRA Actor/ Writer
Saul Blinkoff
Scott Kaufman
Scott Levine – DGA Producer
Scott Melrose – Talent Agent
Scott Mitchell – Rosenberg CEO, Platinum Studios Inc.
Scott Rosenbaum
Scott Rosenfelt – WGA, DGA Writer/Producer/Director
Sepideh Makabi – Director
Seth Fisher
Seth Kurland- WGA Writer/Producer
Seth Rudetsky – Sag/Aftra, WGA East Actor, radio host, writer, musician
Shaked Berenson – pga
Shani Atias – SAG AFTRA Actress
Shanni Suissa – CEO, Jews Talk Justice
Sharon Bialy – CSA, Academy of Motion Pictures Member Casting Director
Sharon Lieblein – CSA, teamsters local 399 Casting Director
Sharona Beck
Shauna Perlman – Agent
Sheer Aviram – Actress / Writer / Director
Shep Rosenman – Attorney
Sherry Lansing – Producer
Shie Rozow – Picture Editors Guild Composer, Music Editor
Shir Samari
Shira Rosenfeld – Creative producer
Shira Yoram – Producer
Simcha Jacobovici – Filmmaker
Sophie Kargman – DGA Director
Spencer Berman – Producer
Stacey Tenenbaum – CSA
Stacy Sarner – The Walt Disney Company
Stella Evans
Stephanie Liss – WGAW, DRAMATISTS GUILD Writer
Stephen Levinson – WGA-E
Steven E Gordon – 839 and 800 Director Wild Canary
Steven Marmalstein – WGA
Stuart Acher – Director/Writer
Sue Steinberg
Susan Rovner
Susan Rudick- SAG-AFTRA Actor
Tamar Pelzig
Tamar Simon – BAFTA Film Distributor and Publicist
Tamara Becher-Wilkinson – WGA
Tara Strong – SAG/ACTRA Actress
Terry Serpico – SAG AFTRA, WGAE Actor, Writer,Director
Tiffany Haimof – Wasserman / Senior Director, Business Affairs
Tiffany Lo WGA
Tovah Feldshuh – SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY ACTOR
Traci Szymanski
Tracy-Ann Oberman – Actor
Victoria Gordon
Vincent LeGrow
Wendy Engelberg – WGA
Wendy Sachs – WGA Director/Producer
Yael Swerdlow – Video Game Industry CEO/Founder Maestro Games SPC
Yahm Steinberg – Actor
Yuri Rutman – SAG
Yuval David – SAGAFTRA, AEA Actor, Director, Journalist
Ziba Terrio
Zusha Goldin – Celebrity Photographer
The news was first reported by Variety.
