Many decry actress’ decision to not come to Israel to receive Genesis Prize
In a move that stunned the Israeli political establishment and public alike, famed actress Natalie Portman announced she would not attend a ceremony in Israel to receive the Genesis Prize, colorfully referred to as the “Jewish Nobel.” The award comes with a hefty $2 million, which is donated to charities of the recipient’s choice.
News of the decision broke over the weekend, with the Jerusalem-born actress publishing a statement on Instagram explaining that she “chose not to attend because I did not want to appear as endorsing [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu, who was to be giving a speech at the ceremony.” In her post, the Oscar-winner also cited recent “atrocities”—largely interpreted as a reference to Israel’s response to the ongoing Hamas-initiated clashes along the Gaza Strip border—in addition to “violence, corruption, inequality, and abuse of power” in Israel, which Portman contended do not jive with her “Jewish values.”
In response, many Israelis reacted with fury, criticizing Portman for lending support to Israel’s detractors, who, they claim, are biased. For her part, Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev condemned the actress’ announcement, quipping, “I was sad to hear that Portman fell like a ripe fruit into the hands of BDS supporters.” Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs, affirmed, “sadly, it seems that you [Portman] have been influenced by the campaign of media misinformation regarding Gaza.”
One Jerusalem resident described the actress’ rationale to The Media Line as “far-fetched,” adding that such a move was only justifiable if the leader of a country was, in fact, committing horrific crimes such as Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
On the flip side, pro-Palestinian activists were equally united in their response, with Ramallah-based blogger Tamam Arafat telling The Media Line that, “while Portman’s next steps will define how significant this move is, I’m glad she finally saw the light and took a stand against Netanyahu and his policies.”
Yet another instance of the malleability of “truth,” as viewed through the eyes of those beholden to divergent causes.
(With research from Benji Flacks, a Student Intern in The Media Line’s Press and Policy Student Program)