Tony Kushner speaks in support of Jonathan Glazer's speech at the Oscars

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One of America's most famous writers and one of Steven Spielberg's collaborators spoke today on the Haaretz Podcast about the controversy surrounding Jonathan Glazer's speech after… Area of ​​interest It won Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards.

Speaking about the protests in the United States and their effects, Emmy and Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner spoke I expressed Surprise at what he called “the negative reaction after Jonathan Glazer's unimpeachable and irrefutable statement at the Oscars.”

Asked if he was aware of Glazer’s comments, Kushner replied: “Of course.” I mean, who doesn't?

For context, here is the entirety of Glazer's speech:

Thank you very much. I'll read, I'm afraid.

Thank you to the Academy for this honor, to our partners A24 Films for the access, the Polish Film Institute, the Stead Museum for their trust and guidance, and my producers, actors and collaborators.

All our choices were to reflect and confront us in the present. I am not saying look what they did then, but rather look what we are doing now.

Our film shows where dehumanization leads to its worst. It has shaped all of our past and present. And now, we stand here as men refuting their Judaism and the Holocaust, hijacked by the occupation that led to the struggle of so many innocent people.

Whether the victims of October – whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist? Alexandria, the girl who shines in the movie as she shines in life, chose to do so. I dedicate this to her memory and resistance. Thank you.

“What [Glazer’s] “It's very simple,” Kushner said. “It says that Judaism, Jewish identity, Jewish history, the history of the Holocaust, and the history of Jewish suffering must not be used in a campaign as an excuse for the project of dehumanizing or slaughtering others. “This is a misappropriation of what it means to be Jewish, what the Holocaust means, and he rejects that.”

He continued: “Who does not agree with that? What kind of person believes that what is happening now in Gaza is acceptable? If you find yourself saying out loud and publicly, “I'm fine with what they're doing,” because you feel your only option as a Jew is to defend everything Israel does, shame on you.”

More than a thousand entertainment industry professionals signed a letter this week condemning Glazer's speech.

“We refute the kidnapping of our Judaism for the purpose of drawing a moral equation between the Nazi regime, which sought to exterminate a race of people, and the Israeli nation, which seeks to avoid its extermination,” the letter read in part (read it in full here).

Still others, e.g She said Star Zoe Kazan publicly declared his support for Glazer, and a Change.org petition in his favor gathered 1,670 signatures.

Speaking specifically about the situation in the Middle East, Kushner seemed to indicate that his views were evolving, regarding how to respond.

“In my journey over the past five months, I have come closer to the idea that perhaps a boycott is necessary, but I cannot do it. I cannot separate myself from Israel.”

He said that the goal is peace for all, including Israelis.

“I want Israelis to be able to live in peace… I think the occupation in Gaza… all these things, do not make Israel safe.”