The president of the Holocaust Survivors’ Foundation USA has slammed The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer for comparing the Israel-Hamas war to Hitler’s industrial-scale slaughter of Jews in his Oscars acceptance speech.
Glazer’s Holocaust drama about the lives of a Nazi family in their home adjacent to the Auschwitz death camp won the Academy Award for best international film on Sunday.
While giving his acceptance speech, the writer-director condemned the war in Gaza and said, ‘We stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation.’
Holocaust survivor, David Schaecter, who spent three years at the Auschwitz death camp and one at Buchenwald, wrote an open letter calling Glazer’s comparison ‘morally indefensible.’
‘You should be ashamed of yourself for using Auschwitz to criticize Israel,’ said 94 year-old Schaecter.
The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer (right) condemned the war in Gaza during his Oscars acceptance speech and said, ‘We stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation’
Holocaust survivor, David Schaecter wrote an open letter calling Glazer’s comparison ‘morally indefensible’
Hamas led terror attack on October 7th that killed over 1,200 Israelis. Pictured: The kindergarten in Be’eri which appeared to be a site of clashes when Hamas gunmen swept the kibbutz on October 7
Multiple Oscars attendees wore these red pins calling for a Ceasefire, created by Artists4Ceasefire
Billie Eilish is seen wearing a red ceasefire pin ahead of Sunday’s glitzy ceremony
Poor Things stars Mark Ruffalo (left) and Ramy Youssef (right) also donned the red pins Sunday to show their support for a ceasefire
‘If the creation, existence, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish state equates to ‘occupation’ in your mind, then you obviously learned nothing from your movie.’
Glazer’s film is loosely based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Martin Amis, which is partially-based on real events.
In his speech Glazer said, ‘Our film shows where dehumanization leads, at its worst. Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.
‘Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel, or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims, this dehumanization, how do we resist?’
Schaecter has been outspoken in his support for Israel since the Hamas led terror attack on October 7th that killed over 1,200 Israelis and saw over 240 people taken hostage.
‘I watched in anguish Sunday night when I heard you use the platform of the Oscars ceremony to equate Hamas’s maniacal brutality against innocent Israelis with Israel’s difficult but necessary self-defense in the face of Hamas’s ongoing barbarity,’ Schaecter said in his letter.
‘It is disgraceful for you to presume to speak for the six million Jews, including one and a half million children, who were murdered solely because of their Jewish identity.’
‘It is disgraceful for you to presume to speak for those of us who personally saw the world stand silent as our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were murdered,’ he said.
Glazer’s controversial comments came as pro-Palestine protesters delayed the Oscars ceremony by five minutes.
Activists blocked the roads leading to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and forced Hollywood’s biggest stars to abandon their vehicles and walk to the venue.
Pro-Palestine protesters calling for a ceasefire delayed the Oscars ceremony by five minutes. Following the October 7th attack, o ver 30,000 Palestinians have been killed
One protestor displayed a sign reading ‘The Oscars sponsored by baby killers,’ while another sign read ‘Hollywood’s silence is violence.’
Some celebrities including Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef and Mark Ruffalo wore red pins in support of the group Artisit4Ceasefire.
According to the groups website, the pin is composed of a red background to symbolize the urgency of the call to save lives.
The orange hand is meant to symbolize people of all backgrounds coming together and the heart at the center symbolizes leading with love.
Following the October 7th attack, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and the UN has warned the Gaza strip faces famine conditions.
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