Jonathan Glazer’s Controversial Oscars Speech Backed by Group of Jewish Creatives

Chris Gardner
·3 min read
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Nearly a month after Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech reverberated across Hollywood and caused a wave of controversy, 455 Jewish creatives (and counting) have signed a letter in a show of support.

“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,” reads the letter, published amid the continued conflict in the Middle East. “We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1200 Israelis killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.”

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The letter is signed by a mix of actors, writers, producers, filmmakers and other creatives. Among those backing Glazer are Joker star Joaquin Phoenix; Killer Films vet Pamela Koffler; Saturday Night Live star Chloe Fineman; Broad City stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson; filmmakers Joel Coen, Todd Haynes, Miranda July, Mike Leigh, Boots Riley, Amy Berg, Janicza Bravo, Nicole Holofcener; and veteran studio executive James Schamus. The Hollywood Reporter received a copy of the letter from Joy to the Polls co-founder Sarah Sophie Flicker, who says more names are expected to be added.

As of April 10, more than 300 new creatives signed the letter, including SNL castmember Sarah Sherman; eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken; Anatomy of a Fall co-writer Arthur Harari; Girls co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner; comedian and screenwriter Larry Charles; playwright Liz Flahive; screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal; former Academy president Sid Ganis; screenwriter Oren Moverman; actor and filmmaker Alex Winter; and The Hunger Games writer and director Gary Ross.

“I am so grateful to be in such wonderful company,” Schamus tweeted after the letter was first published by Variety. “Thanks to everyone who has added their much-needed voice in defense of our shared common humanity.”

During the Academy Awards on March 10, Glazer, in accepting a best international film trophy for his Zone of Interest, said he made his film against the backdrop of the Holocaust in an effort to show “where dehumanization leads at its worst” and how it shapes past and present. “Right now, 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,” he said, adding, “Whether the victims of Oct. 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?”

His words, which landed with a mix of praise and contempt, were quickly followed by an open letter published March 18 and signed by more than 1,000 Jewish creatives and executives who came together to denounce the speech. That was followed by remarks made by Tony Kushner, who described the speech as a “really sort of unimpeachable, irrefutable statement.”

See the new letter in support of Glazer below, along with the full list of creatives who signed 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,

Lenny Abrahamson
Anne Aghion
Ra’anan Alexandrowicz
Erin Allweiss
Udi Aloni
Emma Alpert
Lital Amos
Shira Arad
Livia Arditti
Philip Arditti
Mark Asch
Hannah Assadi
Liran Atzmor
Michal Aviad
Yuval Avraham
Erin Axelman
Hadas Ayalon
Shimon Azulay
Annie Baker
Ned Baker
Todd Banhazl
Ariela Barer
Morgan Bassichis
Joshuah Bearman
Ella Ben Ami
Ayelet Ben Zvi
Yotam Ben-David
Abner Benaim
Marina Benjamin
Amy Berg
Jordana Berg
Kate Berlant
Molly Bernard
Avner Bernheimer
Matt Bernstein
Vidi Bilu
Simone Bitton
Yael Bitton
Hannah Black
Juliet Blake
Joshua Blum
Amir Bogen
Clare Bogen
Gregg Bordowitz
Agnes Borinsky
Sagi Bornstein
Serge Bozon
Zoë Bradley
Charles Bramesco
Judy Brandman
Janicza Bravo
Hugh Brody
Robert Brooks Cohen
Margaret Brown
Natalie Brown
Dan Bucatinsky
Caitlin Mae Burke
Igal Burstyn
Isaac Butler
Shai Carmeli-Pollak
Daria Carmon
Daniel Chalfen
Estee Chandler
Larry Charles
Michelle Citron
Anne Coatman
Joel Coen
Dan Cogan
Debra Rae Cohen
David Cohen
Erika Cohn
Dominic Cooke
Arielle Cooper-Lethem
Molly Crabapple
David Cross
Christine D’Souza Gelb
Israel Dadon
Mona Davis
Jeff Deutchman
Scott Dougan
Sandi DuBowski
Cyrus Dunham
Danielle Dutton
Diana Edelman
David Ehrlich
Yaniv Eidelstein
Sam Eilertsen
Spike Einbinder
Deborah Eisenberg
Nicole Eisenman
Mali Elfman
Shlomi Elkabetz
Dikla Jika Elkaslassy
Tal Elkayam
Revital Elkayam
Danae Elon
Tamar Ettun
David Farr
Isaac Feldberg
Charley Feldman
Michael J. Feldman
Sam Ferguson
Connie Field
Chloe Fineman
Taliya Finkel
Jo Firestone
Jordan Firstman
Jordan Fish
Frances Fisher
Jessie Fisher
Liz Flahive
Rachel Fleit
Rachel Fletcher
Sarah Sophie Flicker
Ido Fluk
Yael Fogiel
Naomi Foner
Esther Freud
Bella Freud
Sarah Friedland
Ariel Friedlander
Uri Fruchtmann
Niv Fux
Leah Galant
Noah Galvin
Alma Ganihar
Sid Ganis
Aaron Costa Ganis
Sarah Gavron
Tamara Gayer
Gabriella M. Geisinger
Tony Gerber
Tavi Gevinson
Ilana Glazer
Sam Gold
Gali Gold
Natalie Gold
Jimmy Goldblum
Lyn Goldfarb
Daniel Goldhaber
Nan Goldin
Julie Goldman
Connor Goldsmith
Kayla Goldstein
Eli Goldstone
Ben Goldwasser
Yoni Golijov
Caroline Golum
Josh Gondelman
Sarah Goodman
Robert Goodman
Josh Gordon
Talia Goshen
David Gottlieb
Elliott Gould
Tal Granit
Miles Greenberg
Michael Greif
Mercedes Grower
Dalia Hagar
Doron Max Hagay
Gordon Hall
Katie Halper
Arthur Harari
Mark Harris
Todd Haynes
Fred Hechinger
Barak Heymann
Lee Hirsch
Eliza Hittman
Tracie Holder
Anna Rose Holmer
Nicole Holofcener
Rachael Horovitz
Eva Husson
Eytan Ipeker
Ilan Isakov
Ari Issler
Natasha Jacobs
Abbi Jacobson
Kristi Jacobson
Rachel Leah Jones
Miranda July
Vladimir Jurowski
Jennifer Kabat
Jessica Kahkoska
Deborah Kalin
Michael Kaminer
Brian A. Kates
Marina Katz
Jason Adam Katzenstein
David Katznelson
Deborah Kaufman
Ella Kemp
Sara Kiener
Lola Kirke
Dan Kitrosser
Maya Klar
Alison Klayman
Naomi Klein
Marj Kleinman
Yotam Knispel
Pamela Koffler
Jess Kohl
Jenni Konner
Philippa Kowarsky
Maris Kreizman
Lisa Kron
Justin Kuritzkes
Lauren Kushner
Rachel Kushner
Serge Lalou
Nadav Lapid
Laura Lapidus
Anthony Lappé
Julliette Larthe
Matt Lavine
Alison Leiby
Mike Leigh
Cindi Leive
Libby Lenkinski
Tia Lessin
Jonathan Lethem
Blake Lethem
Naomi Levari
Mica Levi
Adam Levite
Avi Lewis
Michael Lieberman
Eliav Lilti
Ardele Lister
Jennie Livingston
Ram Loevy
Sharon Lomofsky
Melody London
Richard Lorber
Judith Lou-Lévy
Kyle Lukoff
Amanda Lundquist
Dave Macklovitch
Yael Magnes
Liz Magnes
Rafi Magnes
Noa Maiman
Alex Mallis
Daniel Mann
Adam Mansbach
Darius Marder
Susan Margolin
Miriam Margolyes
Steven Markovitz
Sam Marks
Daniel Maté
Gabor Maté
Griffin Maxwell Brooks
Lise Mayer
So Mayer
Jane Mayle
Sharon Maymon
Hilla Medalia
Shauly Melamed
Jeff Melnick
Alan Menken
Nina Menkes
Carly Mensch
Yoel Meranda
Dara Messinger
Jonathan Meth
Collier Meyerson
Shirli Nada Michalevicz
Avi Mograbi
Sophie Monks Kaufman
Mik Moore
Hadar Morag
Michael Morris
Crystal Moselle
Benjamin Moser
Laura Moss
Oren Moverman
Ilana Navaro
Hari Nef
Monika Estrella Negra
Laraine Newman
Chani Nicholas
Udi Nir
Sara Nodjoumi
Menashe Noy
Annie Ohayon
Charlie Olsky
Yuval Orr
David Osit
Stephanie Palumbo
Nira Park
Zeena Parkins
Ted Passon
Timna Rose Perets
Sinai Peter
Sierra Pettengill
Charlie Phillips
Summer Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Rain Phoenix
Janis Plotkin
Max Posner
Naama Preis
Jeff Preiss
Francine Prose
Kate Quarfordt
David Quesemand
Sarah Ramos
Mark Rappaport
Allon Reich
Leo Reich
Boots Riley
Howard A. Rodman
Mark Romanek
Jonathan Romney
Michal Ron
Yael Ronen
Jon Ronson
Jacqueline Rose
Anna Rose
Louise Rosen
Roee Rosen
Michael Rosen
Martin Rosenbaum
Jason Rosenberg
Dani Rosenberg
Jay Rosenblatt
Jessica Rosner
Tessa Ross
Gary Ross
Jed Rothstein
Shahar Rozen
Ira Sachs
Nathan Salstone
Lisa Salzer
Lauren Sandler
Tilly Scantlebury
Alec Gorman Schachner
Beth Schacter
James Schamus
Adam Scheflan
Tonje Hessen Schei
Aaron Schimberg
Jillian Schlesinger
Ken Schneider
Jane Schoenbrun
Sarah Schulman
Anya Schulman
Ariel Schweitzer
Yaron Seelig
Rona Segal
Arik Segev
Emma Seligman
Shaul Setter
Zohar Shachar
Guy Shaham
Yoav Shamir
Tomer Sharon
Wallace Shawn
Tal Shefi
Noam Sheizaf
Meredith Shepherd
Sarah Sherman
Mel Shimkowitz
Neta Shoshani
Alyson Shotz
Roy Shtayim
Simone Shubuck
Misha Shulman
Yishai Shuster
Noam Shuster Eliassi
Allan Siegel
Amy Sillman
Nathan Silver
Shelly Silver
Gil Sima
Michael Simon
Doug Singer
Michael Skolnik
Jenny Slattery
Gillian Slovo
Robyn Slovo
Shawn Slovo
Sarah Adina Smith
Alan Snitow
Ben Snyder
Romy Soleimani
Alisa Solomon
Nicole W. Solomon
Morgan Spector
Maya Steinberg
Tom Stoppard
Nina Streich
Elisabeth Subrin
Ginny Suss
Arianne Sved
Sweaty Eddie
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
Liora Szylman
Kae Tempest
Jeremy Thomas
Lynne Tillman
Itay Tiran
Zohar Tirosh-Polk
Eran Torbiner
Joshua Gutterman Tranen
Rachel Traub
Sarah Tuft
Pablo Utin
V (formerly Eve Ensler)
Alicia Van Couvering
Misha Vertkin
Dani Vilenski
Sophie von Haselberg
David Wachsmann
Elie Wajeman
Dagan Wald
Natasha Walter
Adam Weber
Lindsey Weber
Nick Wechsler
Madeline Weinstein
Jenna Weiss-Berman
Einat Weizman
Rachel Wells
Ariel Wengroff
Ye’ela Wilschanski
Mara Wilson
David Wilson
Debra Winger
Natalia Winkelman
Alex Winter
Matt Wolf
Angela Workman
Jeremy Workman
Jeremy Yaches
Oded Yedaya
Addam Yekutieli
Gary Yershon
Saar Yogev
Yossi Zabari
Jeremiah Zagar
Kate Zambreno
David Zarif
Alexander Zeldin
Amy Ziering
Tamara Zimet
Amy Zimmer
Debra Zimmerman
Amnon Zlayet
Itsik Zuarets
Sophie Zucker
Meital Zvieli

April 10, 12:30 p.m. Updated with additional names added to the letter.

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