By Lieba Nesis

“To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all. We must always take sides.  Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim,” said Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel whose parents and sister were killed during the 1944 genocide.   Hollywood’s deafening silence from a community that prides itself on countering injustices is shocking;not a word from Wiesel “bestie” Oprah Winfrey, Superjew Steven Spielberg, Chanukah lover Adam Sandler, refugee supporter Angelina Jolie, Jewish actor Timothee Chalamet. Nada from Instagram nuisance “The Fat Jewish” -I guess he is only Jewish when raking in millions.

There are a couple of luminaries who have reprehensibly shocked including outspoken restaurateur Keith McNally who owns Pastis, Balthazar, Morandi and Minetta Tavern.  He recently doubled down on his Instagram post which read, “the more utterly repugnant the facts, the greater the responsibility to listen to the other side.” This outlandish statement has resulted in a firestorm of controversy ensuring his restaurants will be boycotted as Zack Shaevitz commented, “enjoy losing your largest customer base.”  McNally’s response was, “I’m part Jewish.  In the 1970’s I lived on a Kibbutz.  My brother Peter risked his life spying for Israel.” This defense sounds a lot like “I have Jewish friends.”  There is no record of him having a brother Peter, nor of him being one percent Jewish, with only brother Brian McNally a fellow restaurant owner.  Visiting a Kibbutz does not legitimize justifying the behavior of Hamas who murdered thousands of innocents on October 7th while raping and executing teenagers and families in cold blood.  How can you listen to those who fail to listen to the screams of 5 year olds pleading for their mother’s life. This is a man who called television host James Corden a “cretin” and banned him from his restaurant for “abusive behavior” to waiters yet would like to hear how bloodthirsty monsters explain decimating families.  His great friend and Vogue editor Anna Wintour has failed to utter a peep decrying his behavior.

Ultraliberal actor Mark Ruffalo who has been highly critical of Israel has remained neutral saying he was grief stricken for the “tragic events unfolding in Israel and Gaza.” In 2021 he urged the US to sanction Israel during its conflict with Hamas in Gaza and compared Israel to an apartheid regime that was committing genocide. Yet in this situation the French-Italian Ruffalo is at a loss for words writing,  he “has no answers obviously and is focusing on our shared human existence.”  Shame on him!! There are Jews who have spoken out including Josh Gad however he peppered it with criticism “of the Israeli Government and its pattern of occupation and attacks on innocent Gazans.”  Actress Natalie Portman has condemned the attacks but who can forget her refusal to accept Israel’s Genesis Prize in April 2018 because she remarked, “the mistreatment of those suffering {Palestinians} is not in line with my Jewish values.  I must stand up against violence, corruption, inequality and abuse of power.” Sarah Jessica Parker and Howard Stern who are of Jewish descent have been silent, as has activist and Jewess Gloria Steinem.  Who can forget Howard Stern in 2014 calling out Israel for its “atrocious and inhumane” interventions in Gaza while currently remaining mute. Jamie Lee Curtis, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Sara Foster, Mark Hamill and Madonna have unequivocally backed Israel.  Former IDF combat instructor  and actress Gal Gadot who boasts 109 million Instagram followers has changed her Instagram caption to “stand with Israel” along with posting organizations to donate to.  And let’s not forget comedic genius Jerry Seinfeld whose Instagram feed reads, “I have loved our Jewish homeland since working on a Kibbutz at the age of 16.  My heart is breaking from these attacks, I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”  His wife Jessica has been similarly outspoken posting hourly on the atrocities committed against Israel.

There have been few voices in the African American community coming to Israel’s defense aside from championship boxer Floyd Mayweather remarking, “I stand with Israel against the Hamas terrorists. This is not a time for politics… God Bless Israel”!

Kanye West who openly admires Hitler and Jamie Foxx who came under fire for saying the Jews “killed this dude named Jesus… what do you think they will do to you?” have yet to utter a word despite Foxx’s August 2023 apology which claimed that “he loves and supports the Jewish community.”

Kim Kardashian who never spoke out against her ex-husband’s blatant anti-Semitism has been similarly silent while her sister Kylie cowardly removed her “We stand with the People of Israel” post from her Instagram feed.  Maybe her besties, outspoken Israel haters and Palestinians Gigi and Bella Hadid, convinced her to delete the message after she received significant backlash.

As for social media titans Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, owners of Twitter (X) and Facebook (Meta) their responses have been similarly disappointing.  The Jewish Zuckerberg who criticized Trump for the January 6th riots has failed to utter a peep over the real life casualties inflicted by Hamas.  While Musk, who referred to himself as “aspirationally Jewish” in September 2023 has similarly been voiceless flagging some of Iranian leader Ali Khamanei’s Twitter posts celebrating the attacks by Hamas on Israel while allowing Khamanei’s posts applauding the Palestinian movement which today “is more energetic and alive than it has been during the past 80 years”.  When the  gatekeepers to social media sites and pop culture turn a blind eye to barbaric violence chances of its imminent recurrence is overwhelming.