In the beginning, there was nothing. And then God said: let there be an elfin beauty gliding through the streets of Venice in a black cape-dress. And it was Natalie Portman. And God saw that it was good. Some people handle breakups by posting pictures of themselves on Instagram. Some people head to the gym…
Few plotlines could be more embarrassing to a gaggle of Russian Jewish billionaires than this: Create a million-dollar “Jewish genius” prize, elegantly named The Genesis Prize. Award it to an A-list movie idol like Natalie Portman. Then find out that she’s boycotting the award ceremony in Jerusalem as a headline-grabbing protest of Israeli politics —…
NEW YORK (JTA) — The Genesis Prize Foundation, whose award is nicknamed the “Jewish Nobel,” said it will not rescind its honor to Natalie Portman after she said she would not attend the award ceremony in Israel. In a statement released on Thursday, the foundation criticized Portman’s decision and said it had informed her that Israeli…
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…
The Russian billionaires behind the Israeli award that Natalie Portman snubbed last week are mentioned in the controversial Steele dossier, which details alleged connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia. Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and German Khan, who fund the $1 million annual Genesis Prize, are listed in the intelligence package compiled by former British…
American pro-Israel organizations normally hew to the Israeli government’s line on controversial issues. But after Natalie Portman announced last week that she would not travel to Israel to accept the Genesis Prize because of her opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government reacted with fury — while their American allies did not…
In today’s increasingly tribal, zero-sum world, there is no discussion more tribal and zero-sum than the one surrounding Israel. Despite the plaintive cries of lovers of Israel that support for Israel does not mean one has to agree with every action Israel does, this seems to be the exact reasoning both the pro-Israel and anti-Israel…
Natalie Portman should have done in 2018 what Elie Wiesel did when accepting the Congressional Gold Medal of Achievement in 1985. And what David Grossman did last week, before accepting the Israel Prize for Literature. And what countless Jews have done throughout recorded time, grasping the prophetic opportunity to, in Wiesel’s words, “speak truth to…
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