Natalie Portman. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Israeli-born actress Natalie Portman recently announced that she would not take part in the ceremony for the Genesis Prize, slated to be held in Israel in June 2018.

The Genesis Prize Foundation, which awards what it calls the “Jewish Nobel,” named Ms. Portman this year’s winner until she notified the foundation that: “Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel” and “she cannot in good conscience move forward with the ceremony.”

The Genesis Prize Foundation cancelled the ceremony, saying that its organizers “fear that Ms. Portman’s decision will cause our philanthropic initiative to be politicized, something we have worked hard for the past five years to avoid.”

Shame on Natalie Portman for bowing to those who boycott Israel.

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev hit the nail on the head, noting, “Natalie Portman fell into the hands of the BDS supporters, [and presented the story of Israel as] a tale of darkness.”

As Hillel Neuer of UN Watch told Portman, “If 30,000 rioters were at your borders & approaching your family in Los Feliz, and they were orchestrated by a terror group that advocates the murder of all Jews, I believe you would ‘in good conscience’ support officers doing their best to protect you.”

Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East, where all religions are protected, where all women have equal rights — and the list goes on and on. The Jewish state is a beacon of light. Shame on Natalie Portman for standing against Israel.

The Genesis Prize “honors individuals who serve as an inspiration to the next generation of Jews through their outstanding professional achievement along with their commitment to Jewish values and the Jewish people.” They should never have awarded her the prize.

Ronn Torossian is a public relations executive and author of For Immediate Release.