Oscars 2014: Jewish Winners and Performers
by JNS.org
JNS.org – At the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday, several Oscars were handed out to Jewish and Israeli filmmakers, actors, and producers. Israeli soundman Niv Adiri and his teammates won an Oscar for sound mixing on the movie “Gravity,” starring Sandra Bullock.
In addition, the documentary about 110-year old concert pianist and Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer, “The Lady in No. 6: Music Saved My Life,” won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short just a week after Herz-Sommer’s death. Spike Jonze (Adam Spiegel), whose father is Jewish, won an Oscar for best original screenplay for “Her,” the movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and the voice of Jewish actress Scarlett Johansson.
Two Jewish singers also performed at the Oscars. Idina Menzel sang “Let it Go,” the theme song for the film “Frozen,” which won the Oscar for Best Animated Film. Bette Midler sang “Wind Beneath My Wings” after the In Memorium part of the program commemorating members of show business who have died this year, including Paul Walker, Shirley Temple, James Gandolfini, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.