Ep. 218: Why won’t Jewish stars speak up against antisemitism?
From Think Twice with Jonathan Tobin by JNS Podcasts
May 7, 2026 · 1h 2m
About this episode
The episode discusses the silence of Hollywood regarding antisemitism and the need for Jewish solidarity after the events of October 7, 2023.
In the aftermath of the horror of Oct. 7, 2023, one of the most discouraging things for embattled American Jews was the relative silence from Hollywood. An industry that was never slow to speak up about all sorts of other causes and filled with Jewish artists seemed curiously unconcerned about the assault on Israel and the subsequent surge of antisemitism. As JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin says, American Jews were left to wonder why the arts community seemed just as likely to cheer for those attacking Israel as to declare their solidarity with Jewish hostages. He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by actor, singer and director Jonah Platt who has dedicated his energies since Oct. 7 to advocating for Jewish solidarity and unity. Platt, the son of a successful film producer and philanthropist, hosts a podcast called “Being Jewish With Jonah Platt,” points out that most of those Jews who have remained silent were never engaged or committed Jewishly. Nevertheless, he says the failure of those who had often called upon the Jewish community to offer them solidarity on other issues but were then not willing to do so when the Jews needed help after Oct. 7 was noticed…
People in this episode
Host: Jonathan Tobin
Guest: Jonah Platt
Topics covered
- antisemitism
- Jewish solidarity
- Hollywood silence
- Israel
- October 7
- Jewish community
Keywords
- antisemitism
- Hollywood
- Jewish solidarity
- October 7
- Israel
- Jonah Platt
- Jonathan Tobin
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Hollywood
Places: Israel, American Jews
More episodes of Think Twice with Jonathan Tobin
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- Ep. 222: Antisemites aren’t paying a price for their hate · June 4, 2026 · 1h 2m
- Ep. 221: To resist antisemitism, today’s Jews must become refuseniks · May 28, 2026 · 57 min
- Ep. 220: American’s rageful Jacobins are the real threat to democracy · May 21, 2026 · 1h 1m
- Ep. 219: Can Israel Beat the World’s Biggest Smear Campaign? · May 15, 2026 · 1h 9m
- Ep. 217: Communism’s comeback and the surge of antisemitism · April 30, 2026 · 1h 8m
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