Actress Julianne Moore Backs Israeli Actors' Boycott

Published yesterday (updated) 08/09/2010 20:05

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) --

The list of Hollywood and Broadway stars signing a statement of support for Israeli actors boycotting a theater in an illegal West Bank settlement is growing, organizers said Tuesday.

The latest signatories include Oscar-award nominated actress Julianne Moore, British actress Vanessa Redgrave and American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, a statement issued by Jewish Voice for Peace read.

Over 150 theater and film professionals have signed in support the 60 Israeli thespians refusing to play in the illegal Ariel settlement in the northern West Bank district of Salfit, including Sex And The City star Cynthia Nixon, and 21-time Tony Award winner for productions of "The Pajama Game" to "Phantom of the Opera" Harold Prince.

Actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild Ed Asner, one of the signatories, said "It is always amazing when actors turn down jobs. To have the actors of Israel say they will not work in those venues is truly an act of courage ... I applaud them and would love to instill the actors of America with that courage."

The original Israeli actors' letter was widely criticized the Israeli public and government including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who at the beginning of last week's cabinet meeting denounced the initiative.

"The State of Israel is under an attack of delegitimization by elements in the international community. This attack includes attempts to enact economic, academic and cultural boycotts. The last thing we need at this time is to be under such an attack," The Jerusalem Post, an English-language Israeli daily, quoted him as saying.

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