A slew of non-Jewish celebrities are making a public show of supporting Jews amid a global spike in antisemitism.
Pvnew is told that 30 stars including model Cindy Crawford, “White Lotus” star Connie Britton, former New York Knicks player Zach Randolph, and comic Kevin Nealon have joined the 2024 New Voices campaign.
The online video campaign has been put together by author Samantha Ettus and Mandana Dayani, the former president of Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s Archewell foundation.
The launch comes amid a dramatic rise in antisemitism in the US. Last month the Anti Defamation League reported an “unprecedented” 337% rise in reported antisemitic incidents between October and December, amid Israel’s war against Hamas.
Ettus and Dayani started reaching out to a handful of stars to build an online coalition against antisemitism because they felt stars were staying silent, both on social media and on red carpets at awards shows, where Hollywood figures often talk about their favorite causes.
But they were shocked to discover that many of the celebrities’ handlers didn’t want their clients to participate.
“If we said, ‘Will you stand up against Asian hate, racism, or sexism?’ they would — unblinkingly, people would say yes,” Ettus told us. “But when asked to say no to antisemitism, people got nervous.”
The freeze comes from inside the Hollywood machine, rather than from stars themselves, says Ettus.
“Anytime we went through a handler . . . every time they turned us down. The only time we had success was when we went directly to the celebrity,” she told us.
Ettus believes that part of the hesitation they faced stems from celebrities worrying about being seen as supporting a political cause, just by opposing hatred of a minority group.
“The Israel situation, a geopolitical situation, has gotten wrongly melded with antisemitism,” Ettus tells us. “You don’t need to know history or context to stand against hatred.”
She adds, “If you bring politics into hatred, it isn’t ok. The bottom line is people in the US who have nothing to do with the war in the Middle East are now being targeted. . .Jews across the country are scared and feel unsafe. We need to stop antisemitism in its tracks before it gets worse.”
Jewish celebs taking part in the push include Debra Messing, Brett Gelman, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Scooter Braun.
Colton Underwood, Jenna Dewan, Cheryl Burke, David Arquette, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Colton Underwood, Lance Bass, and Bryan Greenberg, as well as many others are also taking part in the campaign.
Ettus says that some celebs, including Amy Schumer, who have talked about antisemitism online have gotten backlash.
“It can be scary,” she says. “My advice is to use the block button generously and stay true to who you are and what your values are.”
“One of the reasons we wanted to include so many people, there is safety in numbers,” Ettus says, “When you see this many people at once speaking out for the Jews, it makes it easier for you to speak out.”
The campaign is asking the public to join the stars in opposing antisemitism by posting their own videos and tagging 2024 New Voices.
