I cannot stop writing and thinking about the impact of how Natalie Portman acted, and why it needs to be called out. For many Jewish and Israeli people around the world, she has been an inspiration and a symbol of what is possible.
In the last few days not only did she decide that she was not going to Israel to a ceremony where she was the recipient of a prestigious award, but it gets worse. She also is asking Jewish people to focus on other atrocities and not the Holocaust! I personally feel we need to focus on all atrocities, and the Holocaust is an example and reminder of the worst of them. If Jews do not focus on it, nobody else will, and it will be forgotten.
Human Rights Voices
Report: Natalie Portman says Jewish community should focus less on the Holocaust.
And here’s the irony: Back in 2015, Portman questioned how much the Holocaust is placed at the forefront of education.
Natalie Portman is calling on the Jewish community to question how much emphasis they place on the Holocaust in comparison to other atrocities.
The actress recently directed and starred in A Tale of Love and Darkness, an adaptation of the Israeli writer and journalist Amos Oz’s memoir about the creation of Isreal.
Portman was born in Jerusalem and lived there until she was three, when her family emigrated to the US. In America, she was educated at Jewish schools and learned about the Holocaust and the events leading up to the birth of Israel.
The 34-year-old told The Independent this experience led her to question how much the Holocaust, during which 11 million people were killed, is placed at the forefront of education and whether it is right to prioritise it above other tragedies.
“I think a really big question the Jewish community needs to ask itself, is how much at the forefront we put Holocaust education,” she said. “Which is, of course, an important question to remember and to respect, but not over other things.”
Here we have Natalie Portman believing Jews learn too much about the Holocaust. Yet in her recent statement, she reveals an utter ignorance about it (and, of course, Israel) when claiming Israel was created “as a haven for refugees from the Holocaust.”
For those of you that are wanting more information about what exactly it is that is so upsetting, this is a great article,
I was just thinking of how we all have a powerful energy and we choose how to use it in this world. I am so grateful that through Yoga and Doula work, I am able to share my energy as possibility. Some people use their energy for healing, while others bring attention to causes close to their heart.
Our Personal Energy is Powerful,
It impacts the world and how others may act because of it.
Coach Yulia