What used to be a given, namely a Jewish person’s support for the State of Israel, is no longer something that can be taken for granted. Especially in the hills of Hollywood, it is no longer fashionable to support Israel. It is much more acceptable to express concern for the terrible things that Israel is supposedly doing than to express support for Israel.
But this was not always the case. Many non-Jewish and Jewish actors and actresses in Hollywood were staunch supporters of Israel over the years. Some of those from a previous generation who stand out were Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas, and yes – Ronald Reagan. Before Ronald Reagan entered the political realm, he was a successful actor. But in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, support for Israel stemmed largely from an attitude that Israel was important as a bulwark in the war against communism and as insurance against another Holocaust ever being perpetrated against the Jewish people.
Today, it is not even that difficult to imagine that the threats of the Jew-haters in the Islamic countries around Israel are genuine. They truly want to kill Jews by the millions. A strong snapshot of this was seen in the terrible events of October 7th, which garnered massive worldwide support among all of the jew-haters around the world.
But if the main threats to Israel are in the Middle East, why is it so critical that American actors and actresses express their stellar support for the State of Israel? The answer is that regrettably, these actors and actresses are going against the winds of the time. In order to speak up as they are doing, they are placing their careers in jeopardy. They will be attacked as being insensitive and as being supportive of “child killers” and the like.
These days, the epithets that have become commonplace in the way that people speak about those they disagree with is a testament to the lowering of the bar of acceptable discourse. The Gal Gadots of the world know this, but they also know that the anti-Israel haters are not speaking out of knowledge, but either out of ignorance or anti-Jewish prejudice.
They should be praised and encouraged for taking a brave stand in the face of supporters of evil.