It’s time for Hollywood to stop erasing Jews.

opinion

by Alison Josephs

In 2015, activist April Reign coined the term #OscarsSoWhite after there were no black actors among the 20 nominated actors for that year’s Oscars.

This viral moment paved the way for much-needed racial justice across the entertainment industry to promote diversity and inclusion.

Nearly a decade later, Hollywood’s growing diversity may be something to celebrate, but its efforts to embrace diversity aren’t necessarily something to celebrate.

A case in point is the Motion Picture Academy’s new inclusion and representation criteria for Best Picture.

The standards, launched this year, require Best Picture nominees to include an accurate range of diverse ethnicities, sexual identities and disabilities.

However, there is one thing missing from this mission. It’s Jewish. Jews, who make up just 2.1% of the U.S. population, are not considered a minority, according to the academy.

Last December, my organization, Jew in the City, launched a 450-person entertainment team that included David Schwimmer, Amy Schumer, Julianna Margulies, Noah Schnapp, Jason Alexander, Brett Gelman, and Ginnifer Goodwin. The House has written an open letter to the Academy denouncing this lack of representation, signed by the House. , Amy Sherman-Palladino, David Shore, Greg Berlanti, Marta Kaufman.

Why do Jews need better representation in Hollywood?

That’s because Jews are now the most attacked group per capita in the United States, with hate crimes against Jews increasing by 366% since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, according to the ADL. .

Representation is important because it can change the way viewers view minority groups. Some studies suggest that authentic portrayals of Jews can reduce anti-Semitic sentiment and attacks.

Thanks to organizations like the NAACP and the Muslim PAC Hollywood Bureau, representation of most marginalized groups has improved significantly. These organizations advocate for more authentic characters and better storytelling for minority communities.

PAC produces fact sheets, conducts showrunner training, writers labs, champions authentic casting, provides culturally competent consultants, hosts media awards, and conducts commission research. Masu. All minorities except Jews have had such stations for decades.

Finally, in 2021, my organization launched the first and only Hollywood Bureau to advocate for more equitable Jewish representation and storytelling.

Jewish representation still suffers from caricatures, self-erasures, metaphors, inauthentic casting, and, as in the case of Bradley Cooper earlier this year, some rubber snoots (nominated for Best Makeup, not condemnation). ) is also overflowing.

The industry remains unable to accommodate observant Jews. Almost all films with Jewish themes are related to the Holocaust. It is certainly important to note that the Jewish people have a history of thousands of years, or at least more than a century.

Our letter calls on the Academy to create standards that prevent Jews from being caricatured and stereotyped, including a mass cast of Jewish-American princesses and evil ex-Mossad operatives. Ta.

It also called for accommodations for entertainment workers who observe the Sabbath and holidays.

These may seem like a given in an age obsessed with identity, but as author David Baddiel wrote a few years ago, “Jews don’t count.” , because we are seen as powerful and white. Not as a persecuted indigenous people, but as a religious group.

Not only are Jewish representation ignored by the entertainment industry, but Jews are also beginning to disappear from the entertainment industry.

In an effort to right the historical wrongs of “white supremacy” (Hollywood’s code for “Jewish”), fewer Jews are employed as the number of other minorities grows.

Older generations of Jews may still be in leadership positions, but a young member of the Writers of America told me recently that white-qualified Jewish men are hiring agents because no one will hire them. He says he can’t do it.

Many Jewish people working in the industry told me outright, “It’s your turn.” And Jewish actors keep changing their names to get roles.

Perhaps the most blatant form of Jewish erasure was the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in 2021. The museum highlights the diversity within Hollywood, but one group conspicuously absent from the 300,000-square-foot exhibit was its Jewish founders.

Seven of the 20 Oscar-nominated actors this year are people of color (a higher proportion of these minorities in the population), but exactly zero are Jewish.

In 2015, the year of #OscarsSoWhite, eight of the 28 Best Picture producers were Jewish.

Only 3 out of 31 Jews have been confirmed this year. While it is true that Jews still constitute a majority in terms of population, every anti-Semitic regime, whether it be the Spanish Inquisition, Nazi Germany, or Farhud, begins with a Jewish quota.

Among the films nominated for Best Picture are stories about Jews, such as “Oppenheimer” and “Maestro,” played by non-Jews Cillian Murphy and Bradley Cooper.

Some may call this embezzlement, but it is a reversible crime for all but one minority group. Maybe it’s time to launch #OscarsSoGoy.

Hollywood can be a partner in humanizing Jews rather than degrading them.

The Motion Picture Academy created inclusion standards to correct a historical wrong.

Hollywood has historically treated and harmed the Jewish community.

It’s time for change.

Alison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City, which launched the first and only Jewish Hollywood Bureau in 2021. JITCHollywoodBureau.org