Alan Menken, Sarah Sherman, Alex Winter and Larry Charles Join Jewish Creatives Supporting Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars Speech in Open Letter (EXCLUSIVE)

UPDATE: More than 300 Jewish creatives — including eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, “SNL” star Sarah Sherman, actor and documentarian Alex Winter and “Seinfeld” writer Larry Charles — have added their names to the list of signatories of an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech.

The number of signees now sits at 491, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”

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New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid, Yuval Abraham, Itay Tiran, Menashe Noy and Avi Mograbi.

“We see violence and suffering against the innocent all over the world. And we as a country contribute to much of it,” Charles said in a statement to Variety. “How do we cheer for bombed out hospitals, starving children and even the senseless slaughter of aid workers? Who are we and how did we get this way? Have you noticed how few Palestinian voices are given a forum in our mainstream media? Even Jews who question Israel’s policies like Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky and Gabor Maté are silenced. There will never be peace without truth. And you can only hide the truth so long.”

Among the original list of 151 signees were high-profile names such as Joaquin Phoenix, Elliott Gould and Chloe Fineman. Others included Phoenix’s sister Rain, three-time Oscar nominee Debra Winger, “May December” director Todd Haynes, “Sorry to Bother You” helmer Boots Riley, acclaimed filmmaker Joel Coen, “Room” director Lenny Abrahamson, “Arrested Development” star David Cross, documentarian Amy Berg, “Barbie” actor Hari Nef, legendary playwright Tom Stoppard, former Focus Pictures CEO James Schamus, comedian Kate Berlant, “You Hurt My Feelings” director Nicole Holofcener, “Secrets & Lies” auteur Mike Leigh, “Passages” filmmaker Ira Sachs, “Gossip Girl” actor and writer Tavi Gevinson, “The Princess Bride” actor Wallace Shawn, “Bottoms” director Emma Seligman, “Mistress America” star Lola Kirke, “Zola” helmer Janicza Bravo, “Broad City” stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson and IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich.

Variety has reached out to personal representatives for many of the signatories, as well as independently reviewed documents confirming their participation.

In a statement to Variety, Ilana Glazer said, “I signed this letter to help counter the climate of silencing that many workplaces and industries are facing around Israel’s war on Gaza, now entering its seventh month. This controversy surrounding Jonathan Glazer is just one example.”

Added Schamus, “It has been weeks since Jonathan Glazer’s acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, but, as we’re reminded by this week’s unconscionable killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers — and of countless more Palestinian civilians — his plea for humanity has only become more urgent, as has our duty as Jewish creatives to protest the vicious smear campaign waged against him.”

According to Máte, Glazer’s Oscar statement renouncing the “co-optation of Jewish suffering to justify Israeli war crimes” aligns with the “highest prophetic values of Judaism, which place universal truth and justice above narrow identification with one group over another.” He added, “Never again is for all!”

His words were met with both backlash and praise. In an open letter published on March 18, over 1,000 Jewish creatives and execs denounced Glazer’s speech for helping to fuel “growing anti-Jewish hatred around the world,” while others like director Ken Loach have come to his defense by calling his statement “brave” and “hugely valuable.” Tony Kushner described his speech as “unimpeachable, irrefutable.”. Glazer has yet to publicly address the reaction to the speech, but he has donated seven signed “Zone of Interest” posters and other film memorabilia to a Cinema for Gaza auction raising money for Medical Aid for Palestinians.

“We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks,” the open letter reads. “Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation. We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.”

The letter continues, “The attacks on Glazer also have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent, the very qualities our field should cherish. Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling antisemitism.”

“We honor the Holocaust by saying: Never again for anyone,” the statement concludes.

Read the full open letter and see the list of signees below.

We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers, and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks. Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation. We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken. 

The attacks on Glazer also have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent, the very qualities our field should cherish. Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists of all backgrounds have decried the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling antisemitism.

In his speech, Glazer asked how we can resist the dehumanization that has led to mass atrocities throughout history. For such a statement to be taken as an affront only underscores its urgency. We should be able to name Israel’s apartheid and occupation — both recognized by leading human rights organizations as such — without being accused of rewriting history.

As the Director of the Auschwitz Memorial, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, wrote, “’The Zone of Interest’ is not a film about the Shoah. It is primarily a profound warning about humanity and its nature.” We must not reserve this warning for a single group. To preserve our humanity and ensure our mutual survival, we must sound the alarm when any group faces such brutality and acts of erasure.

We are proud Jews who denounce the weaponization of Jewish identity and the memory of the Holocaust to justify what many experts in international law, including leading Holocaust scholars, have identified as a “genocide in the making.” We reject the false choice between Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom. We stand with all those calling for a permanent ceasefire, including the safe return of all hostages and the immediate delivery of aid into Gaza, and an end to Israel’s ongoing bombardment of and siege on Gaza.

We honor the memory of the Holocaust by saying: Never again for anyone.

Signed,

1. Lenny Abrahamson

2. Anne Aghion

3. Ra’anan Alexandrowicz

4. Sapphire Allard

5. Erin Allweiss

6. Udi Aloni

7. Emma Alpert

8. Lital Amos

9. Shira Arad

10. Livia Arditti

11. Philip Arditti

12. Mark Asch

13. Hannah Assadi

14. Liran Atzmor

15. Michal Aviad

16. Yuval Avraham

17. Erin Axelman

18. Hadas Ayalon

19. Shimon Azulay

20. Annie Baker

21. Ned Baker

22. Todd Banhazl

23. Ariela Barer

24. Morgan Bassichis

25. Joshuah Bearman

26. Brad Becker-Parton

27. Ella Ben Ami

28. Ayelet Ben Zvi

29. Yotam Ben-David

30. Abner Benaim

31. Marina Benjamin

32. Amy Berg

33. Jordana Berg

34. Kate Berlant

35. Molly Bernard

36. Avner Bernheimer

37. Matt Bernstein

38. Vidi Bilu

39. Simone Bitton

40. Yael Bitton

41. Hannah Black

42. Juliet Blake

43. Joshua Blum

44. Amir Bogen

45. Clare Bogen

46. Gregg Bordowitz

47. Agnes Borinsky

48. Sagi Bornstein

49. Serge Bozon

50. Zoë Bradley

51. Charles Bramesco

52. Judy Brandman

53. Janicza Bravo

54. Hugh Brody

55. Robert Brooks Cohen

56. Margaret Brown

57. Natalie Brown

58. Dan Bucatinsky

59. Caitlin Mae Burke

60. Igal Burstyn

61. Isaac Butler

62. Shai Carmeli-Pollak

63. Daria Carmon

64. Daniel Chalfen

65. Estee Chandler

66. Larry Charles

67. Mstyslav Chernov

68. Michelle Citron

69. Anne Coatman

70. Joel Coen

71. Dan Cogan

72. Debra Rae Cohen

73. David Cohen

74. Roy Cohen

75. Jem Cohen

76. Josh Cohen

77. Erika Cohn

78. Dominic Cooke

79. Arielle Cooper-Lethem

80. Molly Crabapple

81. David Cross

82. Christine D’Souza Gelb

83. Israel Dadon

84. Harris Danow

85. Mona Davis

86. Jeff Deutchman

87. Ira Deutchman

88. Scott Dougan

89. Sandi DuBowski

90. Cyrus Dunham

91. Danielle Dutton

92. Diana Edelman

93. David Ehrlich

94. Yaniv Eidelstein

95. Sam Eilertsen

96. Spike Einbinder

97. Deborah Eisenberg

98. Nicole Eisenman

99. Mali Elfman

100. Shlomi Elkabetz

101. Dikla Jika Elkaslassy

102. Tal Elkayam

103. Revital Elkayam

104. Danae Elon

105. Tamar Ettun

106. Anat Even

107. Avner Faingulernt

108. David Farr

109. Isaac Feldberg

110. Charley Feldman

111. Michael J. Feldman

112. Sam Ferguson

113. Connie Field

114. Chloe Fineman

115. Taliya Finkel

116. Jo Firestone

117. Jordan Firstman

118. Jordan Fish

119. Frances Fisher

120. Jessie Fisher

121. Liz Flahive

122. Rachel Fleit

123. Rachel Fletcher

124. Sarah Sophie Flicker

125. Ido Fluk

126. Yael Fogiel

127. Naomi Foner

128. Megan Jessica Ford

129. Esther Freud

130. Bella Freud

131. Sarah Friedland

132. Ariel Friedlander

133. Uri Fruchtmann

134. Niv Fux

135. Leah Galant

136. Doron Galezer

137. Noah Galvin

138. Alma Ganihar

139. Sid Ganis

140. Aaron Costa Ganis

141. Sarah Gavron

142. Tamara Gayer

143. Gabriella M. Geisinger

144. Tony Gerber

145. Tavi Gevinson

146. Ilana Glazer

147. Sam Gold

148. Gali Gold

149. Natalie Gold

150. Jimmy Goldblum

151. Lyn Goldfarb

152. Daniel Goldhaber

153. Nan Goldin

154. Julie Goldman

155. Connor Goldsmith

156. Kayla Goldstein

157. Eli Goldstone

158. Ben Goldwasser

159. Yoni Golijov

160. Caroline Golum

161. Josh Gondelman

162. Sarah Goodman

163. Robert Goodman

164. Josh Gordon

165. Talia Goshen

166. Lisa Gossels

167. David Gottlieb

168. Elliott Gould

169. Tal Granit

170. Miles Greenberg

171. Michael Greif

172. Mercedes Grower

173. Dalia Hagar

174. Doron Max Hagay

175. Gordon Hall

176. Katie Halper

177. Arthur Harari

178. Mark Harris

179. Todd Haynes

180. Fred Hechinger

181. Barak Heymann

182. Lee Hirsch

183. Eliza Hittman

184. Tracie Holder

185. Anna Rose Holmer

186. Nicole Holofcener

187. Rachael Horovitz

188. Kate Hurwitz

189. Eva Husson

190. Eytan Ipeker

191. Ilan Isakov

192. Ari Issler

193. Natasha Jacobs

194. Abbi Jacobson

195. Kristi Jacobson

196. Rachel Leah Jones

197. Miranda July

198. Vladimir Jurowski

199. Jennifer Kabat

200. Jessica Kahkoska

201. Cedric Kahn

202. Deborah Kalin

203. Michael Kaminer

204. Michael Kaminer

205. Albert Hanan Kaminski

206. Brian A. Kates

207. Marina Katz

208. Jason Adam Katzenstein

209. David Katznelson

210. Deborah Kaufman

211. Aron Keller

212. Ella Kemp

213. Sara Kiener

214. Lola Kirke

215. Dan Kitrosser

216. Maya Klar

217. Alison Klayman

218. Naomi Klein

219. Marj Kleinman

220. Jason Kloit

221. Yotam Knispel

222. Pamela Koffler

223. Jess Kohl

224. Jenni Konner

225. Philippa Kowarsky

226. Maris Kreizman

227. Lisa Kron

228. Justin Kuritzkes

229. Andrea Kurland

230. Lauren Kushner

231. Rachel Kushner

232. Serge Lalou

233. Nadav Lapid

234. Laura Lapidus

235. Anthony Lappé

236. Julliette Larthe

237. Matt Lavine

238. Alison Leiby

239. Mike Leigh

240. Cindi Leive

241. Libby Lenkinski

242. Adam Leon

243. Tia Lessin

244. Jonathan Lethem

245. Blake Lethem

246. Naomi Levari

247. Mica Levi

248. Adam Levite

249. Avi Lewis

250. Michael Lieberman

251. Eliav lilti

252. Joanne Limburg

253. Ardele Lister

254. Jennie Livingston

255. Ram Loevy

256. Sharon Lomofsky

257. Melody London

258. Richard Lorber

259. Judith Lou-Lévy

260. Kyle Lukoff

261. Amanda Lundquist

262. Dave Macklovitch

263. Yael Magnes

264. Liz Magnes

265. Rafi Magnes

266. Noa Maiman

267. Alex Mallis

268. Daniel Mann

269. Adam Mansbach

270. Darius Marder

271. Susan Margolin

272. Miriam Margolyes

273. Steven Markovitz

274. Sam Marks

275. Daniel Maté

276. Gabor Maté

277. Griffin Maxwell Brooks

278. Lise Mayer

279. So Mayer

280. Bar Mayer

281. Jane Mayle

282. Sharon Maymon

283. Hilla Medalia

284. Shauly Melamed

285. Jeff Melnick

286. Alan Menken

287. Nina Menkes

288. Carly Mensch

289. Yoel Meranda

290. Dara Messinger

291. Jonathan Meth

292. Collier Meyerson

293. Shirli Nada Michalevicz

294. Arlette Mintzer

295. Avi Mograbi

296. Sophie Monks Kaufman

297. Mik Moore

298. Hadar Morag

299. Michael Morris

300. Crystal Moselle

301. Benjamin Moser

302. Laura Moss

303. Oren Moverman

304. Ilana Navaro

305. Hari Nef

306. Monika Estrella Negra

307. Laraine Newman

308. Chani Nicholas

309. Udi Nir

310. Sara Nodjoumi

311. Menashe Noy

312. Annie Ohayon

313. Charlie Olsky

314. Yuval Orr

315. David Osit

316. Stephanie Palumbo

317. Nira Park

318. Zeena Parkins

319. Ted Passon

320. Ofrit Peres

321. Timna Rose Perets

322. Sinai Peter

323. Sierra Pettengill

324. Charlie Phillips

325. Summer Phoenix

326. Joaquin Phoenix

327. Rain Phoenix

328. Janis Plotkin

329. Max Posner

330. Naama Preis

331. Jeff Preiss

332. Francine Prose

333. Kate Quarfordt

334. David Quesemand

335. Sarah Ramos

336. Mark Rappaport

337. Allon Reich

338. Leo Reich

339. Gini Reticker

340. Boots Riley

341. Howard A. Rodman

342. Mark Romanek

343. Jonathan Romney

344. Michal Ron

345. Yael Ronen

346. Jon Ronson

347. Jacqueline Rose

348. Anna Rose

349. Louise Rosen

350. Roee Rosen

351. Michael Rosen

352. Martin Rosenbaum

353. Jason Rosenberg

354. Dani Rosenberg

355. Dani Rosenberg

356. Jay Rosenblatt

357. Jessica Rosner

358. Tessa Ross

359. Gary Ross

360. Alyssa Ross

361. Joanna Rothkopf

362. Jed Rothstein

363. Shahar Rozen

364. Ira Sachs

365. Nathan Salstone

366. Lisa Salzer

367. Lauren Sandler

368. Alexei Sayle

369. Tilly Scantlebury

370. Alec Gorman Schachner

371. Beth Schacter

372. James Schamus

373. Adam Scheflan

374. Tonje Hessen Schei

375. Aaron Schimberg

376. Jillian Schlesinger

377. Ken Schneider

378. Jane Schoenbrun

379. Sarah Schulman

380. Anya Schulman

381. Ariel Schweitzer

382. Amber Sealey

383. Yaron Seelig

384. Rona Segal

385. Arik Segev

386. Emma Seligman

387. Shaul Setter

388. Zohar Shachar

389. Avner Shahaf

390. Guy Shaham

391. Yoav Shamir

392. Tomer Sharon

393. Wallace Shawn

394. Tal Shefi

395. Noam Sheizaf

396. Meredith Shepherd

397. Sarah Sherman

398. Mel Shimkowitz

399. Neta Shoshani

400. Alyson Shotz

401. Roy Shtayim

402. Simone Shubuck

403. Misha Shulman

404. Yishai Shuster

405. Noam Shuster Eliassi

406. Allan Siegel

407. Amy Sillman

408. Laurel Sills

409. Nathan Silver

410. Shelly Silver

411. Gil Sima

412. Michael Simon

413. Doug Singer

414. Michael Skolnik

415. Jenny Slattery

416. Gillian Slovo

417. Robyn Slovo

418. Shawn Slovo

419. Sarah Adina Smith

420. Alan Snitow

421. Ben Snyder

422. Romy Soleimani

423. Alisa Solomon

424. Nicole W. Solomon

425. Morgan Spector

426. Maya Steinberg

427. Tom Stoppard

428. Nina Streich

429. Elisabeth Subrin

430. Ginny Suss

431. Arianne Sved

432. Sweaty Eddie

433. Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

434. Liora Szylman

435. Rebecca Tamás

436. Kae Tempest

437. Jeremy Thomas

438. Lynne Tillman

439. Itay Tiran

440. Zohar Tirosh-Polk

441. Eran Torbiner

442. Joshua Gutterman Tranen

443. Rachel Traub

444. Sarah Tuft

445. Pablo Utin

446. V (formerly Eve Ensler)

447. Alicia Van Couvering

448. Raz Bar David Varon

449. Misha Vertkin

450. Dani Vilenski

451. Sophie von Haselberg

452. David Wachsmann

453. Elie Wajeman

454. Dagan Wald

455. Natasha Walter

456. Adam Weber

457. Lindsey Weber

458. Nick Wechsler

459. Madeline Weinstein

460. Jenna Weiss-Berman

461. Einat Weizman

462. Rachel Wells

463. Ariel Wengroff

464. Ye’ela Wilschanski

465. Mara Wilson

466. David Wilson

467. Debra Winger

468. Natalia Winkelman

469. Alex Winter

470. Matt Wolf

471. Angela Workman

472. Jeremy Workman

473. Jeremy Yaches

474. Oded Yedaya

475. Addam Yekutieli

476. Gary Yershon

477. Saar Yogev

478. Rebecca Yogev

479. Yossi Zabari

480. Jeremiah Zagar

481. Kate Zambreno

482. David Zarif

483. Alexander Zeldin

484. Amy Ziering

485. Tamara Zimet

486. Amy Zimmer

487. Debra Zimmerman

488. Amnon Zlayet

489. Itsik Zuarets

490. Sophie Zucker

491. Meital Zvieli

*Ehrlich is a critic at IndieWire, which shares a parent company, Penske Media, with Variety.

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