JITC Hollywood Bureau Letter To The Motion Picture Academy Goes Viral!

We have long been frustrated with Jews being left out of inclusion seminars, statements and calls for diversity. It has been painful to see the main depictions of Jews on screen related to the Holocaust, those leaving the Orthodox community, and stereotypical roles that rely on antisemitic tropes.

The Jewish people of Hollywood are now speaking out. JITC Hollywood Bureau released a letter to the Motion Picture Academy urging the film industry to include Jews in its diversity. Right now, as it stands, the Jewish people are excluded from the Motion Picture Academy’s Representation and Inclusion Standards. In doing so they are invalidating our historic and genetic identity. Jews must be included in these standards. But not only that, the letter explained how Hollywood was founded with internalized shame and imagined a set of standards that would improve Jewish representation and accommodations and bring us the proud and authentic depictions we know are possible.

The letter was released with some notable signatories on it including David Schwimmer, Debra Messing, Ginnifer Goodwin, Amy Schumer, Jason Alexander, Lawrence Bender, Noah Schnapp. More celebrities, entertainment executives and industry leaders are signing the letter daily. If you’re an industry professional, please sign the letter here.

Coverage of the issue is gaining steam as well. The initiative has been covered by The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, CNN, The New York Post, Daily Mail, The Times UK, Independent UK, MSN, Yahoo, and more.

We hope this will lead to more fruitful conversations on the topic and create real change.

See below for the full letter and its top signatories:

Jan 9 2024 Letter to Governors of the Motion Picture Academy

If you found this content meaningful and want to help further our mission through our Keter, Makom, and Tikun branches, please consider becoming a Change Maker today.

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Sherry Newman Crowell says on March 3, 2024
I just came across the recent article by A.Joseph in the New York Post and just wanted to add to it that it is not only actors in Hollywood but other members of the Film Industry – my Jewish family included! I’m a Newman from the “Golden Age” of film studios & founders – the likes of Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman, for example were my uncles, and on down the line. My cousins are good examples of erasure from the Academy: my cousin, Randy Newman, composer of film soundtracks, was nominated 13 times for an Oscar, before receiving one! My cousin Thomas Newman, my Uncle Alred’s youngest son, has been nominated 15 times for his movie soundtracks and has not won an Oscar yet!!! And as an aside – I watched Carey Mulligan’s face at the Oscars when Oppenheimers swept ALL the Oscars (9?) & Maestro, in which she played a part, received none!!! the disgust on her face for the favoritism of the Acadamy was mirrored by my own! I commend you for picking up the proverbial “batton” against the heinous antisemitism running rampant, more so recently, in the Hollywood Film Industry, and elsewhere! I hurt for my wonderfully musical family & hope for a broad recognition of the issue through your organization! I’ll be following you!

Looking forward to your success,
Sherry Newman
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Allison Josephs

Allison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City has been involved in the field of Jewish Outreach for over twenty years and is the Partner in Torah mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. She was named one of NJOP’s Top Ten Jewish Influencers and one of the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36. Allison has been quoted or written about in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People Magazine, NYPost, Daily News, TMZ, The Daily Beast, and Hollywood Reporter. She has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including CBS, ABC, Fox5, TLC, Associate Press TV, and NPR; her articles have appeared in publications including The Washington Post, JTA, Jewish Week, Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and Kveller. Pearson Education, the largest textbook company in the world, produced a video segment on Allison’s life for the Judaism chapter of their textbook. She is a sought-after international lecturer whose corporate clients include Con-Edison and NYU Langone and hosts a weekly podcast on the Nachum Segal Network. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in Philosophy and lives with her husband and four children minutes from the George Washington Bridge.