Et tu Natalie

It was with profound disappointment that I recently read of Natalie Portman’s decision to decline the 2018 Genesis Prize. The Genesis Prize honors individuals who have attained excellence and international renown in their chosen professional fields, and who inspire others through their dedication to the Jewish community and Jewish values.

Natalie Portman’s recent conflicting statements reflect a profound misunderstanding of the purpose of the Genesis Prize. Worse still, she has taken a naive moral position that will serve only to confuse anyone watching from abroad about the complex realities on the ground in Israel.

The Genesis Prize Foundation announced on April 19, that it was notified by a representative of Ms. Portman that “Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel” and that “she cannot in good conscience move forward with the ceremony.”

Her subsequent statement, as clarified by The Hollywood Reporter, was more belabored, but equally circumspect.

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.

Unlike, say, the Presidential Medal of Freedom or the Congressional Medal of Honor, The Genesis Prize is not a state-conferred honor, nor does its acceptance imply an endorsement of the state or its leaders.

The presence of Prime Minister Netanyahu at the award ceremony would certainly lend gravitas and media attention to the event, but sharing a stage with unsavory characters or people with whom you may strongly disagree is something every public figure is accustomed to.

Is Ms. Portman also planning to boycott the Academy Awards because someone offensive may be planning a speech there?

Perhaps, and I am just speculating here, Ms. Portman could have used the prestigious event and the concomitant media and political attention to articulate a compelling vision for a more peaceful, just and equitable Israel. Or even, if she deemed the occasion appropriate for such a statement, call out and criticize the policies of the political leaders in attendance at the ceremony.

That would take great courage.

It is such courage for which great prizes are awarded.

However, instead of rising to the ideals embodied by the Prize and the Jewish values she holds dear, Portman abdicated any meaningful, personal role in shaping the future of Israel she claims to care so much about, or effecting the change she seeks. There is no donation to a charity that she will be able to make now that would have as much of an impact.

An April 2 email from Ms. Portman contradicts her claim that her recusal was because of the planned presence of Netanyahu at the ceremony. She wrote “We have been following the news from Gaza with growing concern and we are worried that it won’t be appropriate to hold the ceremony given the government’s actions and the latest escalation.”

No mention of Netanyahu. Instead the focus was solely on events in Gaza.

We should not rush to judgment, as others have done, and accuse Ms. Portman (who is an Israeli citizen and a Jew) of anti-semitism or suggest she is somehow part of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks the economic, social and political isolation of Israel because of the perceived oppression of Palestinians, although her actions bear a striking and unmistakable resemblance to the goals of BDS and she has emerged, unwittingly, no doubt, to be a champion of their cause.

Even if you agree the Israeli response to the protests in Gaza were disproportionate, despite the provocation from the Hamas terrorist organization that organized the protests, controls Gaza and uses its most vulnerable citizens to breach the border with Israel, Ms. Portman’s weak response, and her subsequent obfuscation about the true reasons for her decision, do nothing to further the interests of Palestinians or peace.

This year, Israeli philanthropist and humanitarian Morris Kahn made an additional $1 million gift to the Genesis Prize Foundation to honor Natalie Portman. The Prize of $2 million was to be used for grants to organizations involved in promoting women’s educational opportunities, economic advancement, health and safety, and full participation in policy formulation and political activity.

This is another casualty of her decision to decline the Prize.

Ms. Portman has shown a commitment to Tikkun olam (Heb. “fixing or repairing the world”) throughout her adult life. Among many other charitable organizations, she has supported Free the Children, Live 8, PETA, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and most recently spoke eloquently and with great sensitivity at the Women’s March in Los Angeles.

It was Natalie Portman’s zealous and passionate advocacy for the less fortunate, the weak and the voiceless that inspired the Genesis Prize Foundation to originally consider her for its prestigious award.

It is her cowardice and treason, not to the country of her birth or to her faith, but to those abandoned Jewish ideals that deserve our condemnation.