Jonathan Glazer's speech at the Oscars supported by Joaquin Phoenix and Chloe Fineman

Boots Riley, Debra Winger, Joel Coen, and Lenny Abrahamson are also on the list of signatories

Joaquin Phoenix, Elliott Gould, Chloe Fineman and more than 150 other Jewish creatives have signed an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer's speech at the Oscars.

List of the 151 signatories it obtained diverse Also includes Phoenix's sister Ren, three-time Academy Award nominee Debra Winger, May December director Todd Haynes, Sorry to Bother You director Boots Riley, acclaimed director Joel Coen, Room director Lenny Abrahamson and Arrested Development star ” David. Cross, documentary maker 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, and “Secrets & Lies” author Mike Lee, author of “Passages.” Director 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” director Janica Bravo, in the movie “Broad City.” Stars Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, and IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich.

diverse It has contacted personal representatives of many of the signatories and has independently reviewed documents confirming their participation.

In a statement to diverseIlana Glazer said, “I signed this letter to help counter the climate of silence that many workplaces and industries face around the Israeli war on Gaza, which is now in its seventh month. This controversy surrounding Jonathan Glazer is just one example.

Shamos added: “It has been weeks since Jonathan Glazer’s acceptance speech at the Oscars, but, as this week’s senseless killing of seven aid workers in the World Center’s kitchen – and countless Palestinian civilians – reminds us, his plea for… Humanity has been very well received.” It becomes more urgent, as does our duty as Jewish creators to protest the vicious smear campaign waged against him.

After Glazer's Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” won the Oscar for best international picture at the March 10 ceremony, the director used his speech to address the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. “All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present. I'm not saying look what they did then, but look what we do now. Our film shows where dehumanization leads to its worst. It has shaped our entire past and present,” Glazer said. “For now.” “We stand here as men who refute their Judaism and the Holocaust that was hijacked by the occupation that led to the conflict of many innocent people. Whether the victims of October – whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how can we resist?”

His words were met with backlash and praise. In an open letter published on March 18, more than 1,000 Jewish creatives and executives condemned Glazer's speech for helping to fuel “growing hatred against Jews around the world,” while others such as director Ken Loach defended his statement as “courageous.” “And 'very valuable.'” Glazer has yet to publicly address the backlash to the speech, but earlier this week the director donated seven signed “Area of ​​Concern” posters to a “Cinema for Gaza” auction to raise money for medical aid for Palestinians. .

“We Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers, and creative professionals support Jonathan Glazer’s statement at the 2024 Academy Awards. “We were concerned to see some of our industry colleagues mischaracterize and condemn his statements,” the open letter said. “Their attacks on Glazer constitute pure Serious about the escalating Israeli military campaign that has claimed the lives of more than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and pushed hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine. We mourn all those killed in Palestine and Israel over many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Hamas attacks on October 7 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. He has denounced Glazer, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg and countless other artists From all backgrounds the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling anti-Semitism.

The statement concludes: “We honor the Holocaust by saying: Never again will this happen to anyone.”

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

We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers, and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazer's statement at the 2024 Academy Awards. We were concerned to see some of our industry colleagues mischaracterize and condemn his statements. Their attacks on Glazer constitute a dangerous distraction from the escalating Israeli military campaign that has already killed more than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and placed hundreds of thousands on the brink of famine. We mourn all those killed in Palestine and Israel over many decades, including the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Hamas attacks on October 7, 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 Countless other artists from all backgrounds have denounced the killing of Palestinian civilians. We should all be able to do the same without being wrongly accused of fueling anti-Semitism.

In his speech, Glazer asked how we can resist the dehumanization that has led to mass atrocities throughout history. To regard such a statement as an insult underscores its urgency. We should be able to name apartheid and the Israeli occupation – both of which are recognized as such by leading human rights organizations – without being accused of rewriting history.

As Director of the Auschwitz Memorial, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywinski, books“Zone of Concern” is not a film about the Holocaust. It is first and foremost a profound warning about humanity and its nature. We must not reserve this warning for one group. In order to preserve our humanity and ensure our mutual survival, we must sound the alarm when any group encounters such These brutalities and acts of erasure.

We are proud Jews who condemn the weaponization of Jewish identity and memory of the Holocaust to justify what many experts in international law, including leading Holocaust experts, have said. The worldsidentified as “Genocide in the making“We reject the false choice between Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom. We stand with all who demand a permanent ceasefire, including the safe return of all hostages, immediate aid delivery to Gaza, and an end to the ongoing Israeli bombing and blockade of Gaza.

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

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*Ehrlich is a critic for IndieWire, which partners with parent company Penske Media diverse.