Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Actress Natalie Portman originally told the Genesis Prize that she was canceling her participation in the award ceremony in Jerusalem over Israel’s actions in quelling Palestinian demonstrations in Gaza.

Hadashot in a report Monday night quoted an email from Portman’s representatives dated April 2.

“We have followed the recent news from Gaza with growing worry, and we are concerned that it is not appropriate to hold a ceremony given the government’s actions and the latest escalation,” the email said.

Genesis, according to Hadashot, rejected her reasoning.

“Canceling the award ceremony … would be a slap in the face of the people of Israel,” it said.

Portman’s decision to eschew the prize ceremony scheduled for June was announced on Thursday night by the Genesis Prize.

The actress later blamed her decision on her reluctance to appear with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid unspecified Israeli “atrocities.”

On Tuesday, the Jewish Insider cited “multiple sources” in reporting that Portman’s representatives had asked the Genesis Prize to cite a scheduling conflict as the reason she could not attend the ceremony.

The Jewish Insider also cited an unnamed source as saying that Genesis tried to accommodate her concerns not to appear to be endorsing Netanyahu, but she insisted that the premier not be invited to the event.

That demand was “a bridge to far,” the site quoted a source as saying.

"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. That’s only possible thanks to the support of readers like you. Will you support our work today?

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT