Few Hollywood players have stood taller for the Jewish people than Steven Spielberg.
His 1993 classic “Schindler’s List” made the titular hero’s sacrifices part of the national conversation. He followed up the film by creating the USC Shoah Foundation, a group dedicated to keeping the stories of Holocaust survivors alive for future generations.
His 2022 film “The Fabelmans” highlighted some of the anti-semitism he faced in his formative years.
Yet the Oscar-winning filmmaker has been curiously silent in the weeks following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on the state of Israel. That savage assault took more than 1,200 lives and featured rape, torture and other ghastly acts.
Hamas still holds hundreds of hostages, including some Americans.
The “West Side Story” director has yet to utter a public statement on the matter. He hasn’t signed any open letters condemning Hamas like Gal Gadot, Jerry Seinfeld and other A-list stars have done. He certainly hasn’t attended any pro-Palestinian gatherings a la Susan Sarandon, who lost her talent agency representation for her anti-Israel rants.
As tensions continue to mount in Hollywood over the Israel-Hamas war, United Talent Agency has dropped actor Susan Sarandon as a client after comments she made about the conflict.#SusanSarandon | #Hollywood /| #IsraelWar https://t.co/FPMChJIOdR
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) November 22, 2023
The president of Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA begged Spielberg to say something, anything about the Oct. 7 atrocities earlier this month.
“Mr. Spielberg, Schindler’s List was about one man having the moral courage to risk his life to save others. We are not asking you to risk your life. We are asking you to use your voice,” Schaecter wrote in the letter backed by the organization’s executive committee. “Take it from those of us who were subjected to the most brutal and deadly anti-Semitism of all time: It will never go away, and Jews will never be safe until Israel is safe and secure.”
Still, nothing.
Spielberg will break his public silence Dec. 8 when he co-hosts a celebrity-studded fundraiser for President Joe Biden.
Invites have gone out for the event, with tickets starting at $1,000 per person. The ticket level rises to $500,000 for those who write or raise, a group that will be listed as co-chairs. Those who contribute $25,000 and above will get access to a photo line. Proceeds will go to the Biden Victory Fund, the joint fundraising committee of the Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state parties.
The Hollywood love for Biden’s 2024 campaign isn’t surprising, but it does come with an asterisk.
Box office superstar Dwayne Johnson recently admitted none of his celebrity chums actually support Biden. They just promote Democrats in general.
Dwayne Johnson Admits to Joe Rogan: My Hollywood Friends Don’t Really Support Biden, Just the Democrat Party https://t.co/DKMOVhm72q
— Harry (@harrytpk) November 21, 2023
And, during the early days of the 2020 presidential campaign, few big-name celebrities threw their support behind Biden.