Ruth Bader Ginsburg Still Plans To Attend Genesis Gala That Natalie Portman Is Snubbing

Image by Getty Images
Natalie Portman, it was announced on Thursday, will not attend the ceremony to accept the Genesis Prize in Israel, citing “recent events in Israel” that are “extremely distressing to her.” But as the news of Portman’s shocking stand ripples across the globe, the question remains: will Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the inaugural winner of the Genesis Lifetime Achievement Award still attend the ceremony?
When the Genesis organization announced the two prizes in November 2017, they planned two separate ceremonies for the winners. Portman’s award ceremony was to be held on June 28, 2018. Ginsburg’s Lifetime Achievement ceremony was scheduled for “early July,” 2018.
Ginsburg will attend the ceremony in July as planned, Haaretz reports, quoting a source at the Genesis organization.
Ironically, after Portman was announced as the recipient in November 2017, reports claimed that the award was originally slated to be given to Ginsburg. Then, the reports claimed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heard of Ginsburg’s win, recalled her criticism of President Trump, and pressured the committee to transfer the prize to a less controversial winner.
Natalie Portman: a safe, non-controversial choice. Little did they know.
Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
