L’attrice statunitense Natalie Portman ha fatto sapere che non parteciperà alla cerimonia dei Genesis Prize, definiti da alcuni giornali israeliani “il Nobel per le persone di discendenza ebraica”. Portman era stata annunciata come vincitrice del premio a novembre. Prima di lei erano stati premiate altre celebrità di origini ebraiche come l’ex sindaco di New York Michael Bloomberg e la giudice della Corte Suprema americana Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Dopo il rifiuto di Portman, il comitato del premio ha cancellato la cerimonia. In un post su Instagram, Portman ha spiegato di aver rifiutato «perché non volevo che la mia apparizione sembrasse un endorsement a Benjamin Netanyahu», il controverso primo ministro israeliano, anche lui invitato a tenere un discorso durante la cerimonia. My decision not to attend the Genesis Prize ceremony has been mischaracterized by others. Let me speak for myself. I chose not to attend because I did not want to appear as endorsing Benjamin Netanyahu, who was to be giving a speech at the ceremony. By the same token, I am not part of the BDS movement and do not endorse it. Like many Israelis and Jews around the world, I can be critical of the leadership in Israel without wanting to boycott the entire nation. I treasure my Israeli friends and family, Israeli food, books, art, cinema, and dance. Israel was created exactly 70 years ago as a haven for refugees from the Holocaust. But the mistreatment of those suffering from today’s atrocities is simply not in line with my Jewish values. Because I care about Israel, I must stand up against violence, corruption, inequality, and abuse of power. Please do not take any words that do not come directly from me as my own. This experience has inspired me to support a number of charities in Israel. I will be announcing them soon, and I hope others will join me in supporting the great work they are doing.
Natalie Portman ha rifiutato di ricevere un premio in Israele, spiegando che non vuole comparire vicino a Netanyahu.