Wiesenthal Center Won’t Withdraw Prize For Harvey Weinstein
Powerful Producer: Harvey Weinstein has a laugh at a celebration for the 40th anniversary of Sir Charlie Chaplin?s honorary Academy Award at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Weinstein stands to earn some Oscar love himself this weekend, with multiple nominations for ?The Artist,? ?My Week With Marilyn? and ?The Iron Lady.? Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — The Simon Wiesenthal Center said it hasn’t considered withdrawing an award given to movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was fired by the production company he founded following a string of sexual harassment allegations.
Weinstein received the 2015 Humanitarian Award from the group, which promotes tolerance, and was honored at its annual gala dinner. Weinstein received the award due in part to his contributions to the group, which have totaled nearly $100,000.
“We honored Harvey Weinstein because he and his company, like many other leaders in the entertainment world, have been longtime supporters of the Wiesenthal Center and its work,” Simon Wiesenthal Center spokeswoman Marcial Lavina wrote in an email to JTA.
Asked whether the group would withdraw the award, Lavina wrote, “That hasn’t been up for discussion.”
In his speech accepting the award, Weinstein said of anti-Semites that Jews “better stand up and kick these guys in the ass.”
An expose in The New York Times last week detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein from female actors and employees, and he was fired on Sunday.
Weinstein was a high-profile donor to Democratic politicians, and several have pledged to give his contributions to charity.
In 2015, along with the Simon Wiesenthal award, Weinstein received the Truth to Power Award from the Survivor Mitzvah Project, which aids elderly Holocaust survivors. The group did not respond to JTA calls for comment.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
