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April 23, 2018 2:51 pm
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Natalie Portman Comforts Israel’s Enemies

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avatar by Shmuley Boteach

Opinion

Natalie Portman. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

I am currently in Warsaw for the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, having just left the inspirational festivities commemorating Israel’s 70th anniversary in Jerusalem.

While honoring the legacy of the great Mordechai Anielewicz, who together with 700 fighters held off the Nazis for an astonishing three weeks, I was disheartened to see a world-famous Israeli-born actress gave aid and comfort to Israel’s enemies by boycotting the Jewish state.

On Friday, I heard the news that Natalie Portman decided not to attend the ceremony where she was to be given Israel’s Genesis Prize.

Natalie Portman is a wonderful actress, who has on rare occasions defended the country of her birth. I applaud her earlier solidarity with her people. But her cowardly decision to abandon Israel as it is fighting a war with Hamas terrorists trying to overrun its border is shocking, hypocritical, and provides aid and comfort to Israel’s enemies, however unwittingly.

Portman is within her rights to criticize government policies. That’s what a democracy is all about. But the way that she has chosen to do so — by boycotting Israel — has shown a disdain for democracy and a thoughtless disregard for the welfare of the Israeli people.

When the Genesis Foundation decided to bestow its prestigious prize on the Oscar winner, I thought it was a reasonable choice. Though she did not have a long history of work on behalf of the Jewish people, her high-profile as an actress and charitable work gave Genesis publicity, would have been a positive thing for Israel and offered a chance for Portman to put the one-million-dollar prize money to good use, especially on behalf of women.

Portman originally responded to the prize enthusiastically, saying:

I am deeply touched and humbled by this honor. I am proud of my Israeli roots and Jewish heritage; they are crucial parts of who I am. It is such a privilege to be counted among the outstanding Laureates whom I admire so much. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Genesis Prize Foundation and look forward to using the global platform it provides to make a difference in the lives of women in Israel and beyond.

Now, just weeks before the Foundation was to present her with the award, Portman announced she would not attend. When the news broke, it was immediately reported as a boycott of Israel and seized on by the antisemitic boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement as evidence that even famous Israelis view their country as uniquely deserving of demonization.

One thing that celebrities care about more than anything is bad publicity. Perhaps Portman was worried that going to Israel in the midst of tensions in Gaza would allow Israel’s detractors to paint her in a bad light. Nearly every artist who goes to Israel is pressured to boycott the Jewish state — and the cowardly ones, such as Lorde, cave in to the antisemites.

Portman apparently did not anticipate the backlash from joining with the BDS sect. After widespread criticism and perhaps realizing the gift that she gave to Israel-haters around the world, Portman tried to explain that she was not boycotting Israel.

“I chose not to attend because I did not want to appear as endorsing Benjamin Netanyahu, who was to be giving a speech at the ceremony,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”

Portman’s words were too little too late and her behavior is inexcusable.

Initially, it was reported that she was upset by “recent events,” presumably meaning the protests in Gaza. Unlike Portman, I was standing on the outskirts of Gazza watching Hamas terrorists advancing on the border, with the intent of crossing into Israel and murdering Jews. I watched the restraint used by Israeli troops who used riot-control measures practiced around the world to disperse the protesters.

What would you have Israel do, Natalie? Do you believe that Israelis have the right to defend themselves against a mob armed with knives, guns, and bombs? Did you watch “peaceful protesters” placing improvised explosive devices along the fence or see the kites flown across the border with incendiary devices to set agricultural fields on fire? Did you speak out against the Hamas terrorists’ explicit call for the destruction of your homeland, or their charter, which calls for the murder of Jews around the globe?

If Portman wants to criticize Israeli policies, no one is stopping her. But for her to use the Israeli prime minister as an excuse for not attending a gala in her honor reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of Israel, and a disdain for democracy.

As an Israeli citizen, she is entitled to vote and to campaign in Israel against him if she disagrees. But to use her platform as an actress in America to delegitimize the views of the Israeli people is unforgivable. Furthermore, being at the same event with the prime minister, or even shaking his hand, would not tarnish her reputation. It would be simply good manners. Instead, she chose to stain her own reputation. And if she wanted to really stand up for her beliefs, she could have used her speech at the gala to speak her mind. No one could have stopped her.

I wonder if she has given any thought to the fact that if she wanted to criticize the leader of Hamas or the Palestinian Authority in front of them, she would be jailed or worse. If Portman were really concerned about Palestinian rights, she would be denouncing their leaders for denying them freedom of speech, assembly, and the press. She should also be speaking out against the widespread practice of honor killings by Palestinians against innocent women for simply having boyfriends.

Portman also showed tremendous insensitivity to Israeli soldiers protecting their country when she chose not to serve in the Israeli army. I do not judge her for doing so, but it would be pleasant to see her show some appreciation for the young heroes who don the olive green uniform and protect Israel from the genocidal plans of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and ISIS.

Natalie was happy to carry a gun and play a soldier defending the world in her latest movie. But life is not fiction, and she should be magnanimous in praising those young Israelis who put themselves in harm’s way so that Israeli buses and kindergartens are not blown up.

With great fame comes great responsibility. Portman should reverse course, accept the prize, and give any speech she deems fit, including one that might publicly challenge government policy. That’s all in keeping with democratic discourse.

But to boycott Israeli is to demonize her own country, undermine its democracy, and abet its implacable enemies.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, “America’s Rabbi,” whom the Washington Post calls “the most famous Rabbi in America” is the international best-selling author of 31 books including his most recent work The Israel Warrior. Follow him on Twitter @RabbiShmuley.

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