In a speech commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the USC Shoah Foundation, Steven Spielberg publicly condemned the recent rise of antisemitism worldwide and shared his thoughts on Israel’s actions in Gaza for the first time.
According to Deadline, Spielberg expressed concern, stating: “Those who fail to recall the past are bound to relive it. I am deeply troubled that we may be forced to relive our history – to fight once again for the basic right to practice Judaism.”
He stated: “The evidence of history is clear in the present situation. The increase in extreme beliefs has created a hazardous atmosphere, and radical intolerance causes a society to no longer embrace diversity, but instead seeks to vilify those who are different, going as far as creating a negative stereotype of ‘the Other’. This is happening simultaneously with discrimination against Muslims, Arabs, and Sikhs. The fabrication of ‘the Other’ and the dehumanization of a group based on their differences is the basis of fascism.”
Spielberg spoke openly about the ongoing conflict in Gaza for the first time, stating, “We may condemn the horrifying actions of the terrorists on October 7th and also denounce the tragic loss of innocent lives, particularly among women and children, in Gaza.”
Spielberg, a notable figure in Hollywood and the Jewish community, has refrained from openly discussing the Gaza conflict. However, in a statement released by the Shoah Foundation in December, he expressed disbelief at the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas in the 7 October massacre, including the deaths of 1,200 people, mass rapes, and abducting 130 hostages. He also chose not to sign an open letter denouncing Director Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar acceptance speech in the film “Zone of Interest”.
After finishing his film Schindler’s List about the Holocaust, Spielberg created the Shoah Foundation in 1994 to document the firsthand accounts of survivors. The foundation relocated to the University of Southern California in 2006.
Source: theguardian.com
