Jewish Actress in the Eye of an American Storm

After standing with Israel and publicly sharing her pro-Israel views, Jewish-American actress Julianna Margulies remains at the center of controversy in the U.S. Margulies, who spoke on a popular podcast and made comments regarding the Black community in the U.S., said, among other things, that "they’ve been brainwashed to hate Jews."

Later, due to a wave of listener responses, she was compelled to retract her statements and apologize. "If anyone from that community sets foot in a Muslim-majority country," Margulies stated, "they would be the first to have their heads chopped off and 'played with like a soccer ball'," she remarked, referring to the numerous recent anti-Semitic events on elite university campuses such as Harvard, Berkeley, and Cornell. "These kids regurgitate this anti-Semitic hate, and they have no idea that if they stepped into a Muslim country, they'd be the first ones to lose their heads. Is that what they support?" she exclaimed. "Terrorists who don't want women to have rights?"

"These kids call Jews colonialists. If you're going to use that argument, kids, then get out of America, because you weren't here first. Native Americans were here first, and you owe them a big apology. Jews were the ones who stood with Black people to fight for their rights, but now the Black community isn't embracing us. This is happening because they simply don't know Jews or have been brainwashed to hate them."

As mentioned, her statements caused a flurry of online reactions, with many quick to claim she was fostering division. In response to these reactions, Margulies declared that she was "horrified by the fact that my words hurt Black communities, communities that I truly love and respect. Throughout my career, I've tirelessly worked to fight hatred of all kinds and to put an end to anti-Semitism, to speak out against terrorist groups like Hamas, and to build a unified front against discrimination. I did not intend for my words to sow division, and I apologize." However, in an interview with Dana Weiss, she stated that all Hollywood actors who do not condemn the massacre and remain silent are "complicit in the crime," as she put it.