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PORTMAN PULLS OUT OF AWARD EVENT IN ISRAEL
Natalie Portman has said that she isn’t ‘comfortable participating in any public events in Israel’
Actor Natalie Portman has decided to skip a very prestigious honour in Israel, citing “recent events”.
The news was confirmed by the organisation, Genesis Prize Foundation, which had announced the honouree in November last year. Its website stated: “The Genesis Prize Foundation (GPF) 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’”.
GPF has decided to cancel its annual ceremony, which was scheduled for June 28. It honours “extraordinary individuals who serve as an inspiration to the next generation of Jews through their outstanding professional achievement, commitment to Jewish values and to the Jewish people,” says the website.
The GPF statement further said, “Portman was born in Israel and, after moving to the US as a child, retained a close connection to her Jewish and Israeli roots. In 2015, she directed and played the lead in the Tale of Love and Darkness, a Hebrew-language film made in Israel and based on the novel by an Israeli writer Amos Oz. However, we are very saddened that she has decided not to attend the Genesis Prize Ceremony in Jerusalem for political reasons. We fear that Ms Portman’s decision will cause our philanthropic initiative to be politicized, something we have worked hard to avoid.”
Portman follows Israeli politics, and in 2015, she had said that she was “very, very upset and disappointed” with the country’s election results.
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.
NATALIE PORTMAN ACTOR, POSTED ON INSTAGRAM