World
Silent Stars
Actor says Hollywood Jews are not taking a big enough role for Israel.
HARRY KIRS BAUM
Staff Writer
I
II amous Hollywood Jews are not doing
enough to support Israel said one of their
own to a crowd of 125 on March 22 at an
event sponsored by the Michigan Region of the
Anti-Defamation League and the Ravitz Program for
Confronting Anti-Semitism.
"There's a certain lack of visible Jewish role mod-
els — actors, comedians and musicians --- willing to
embrace substantive Judaism and Israel publicly,"
said Joshua Malina, who plays communication
director Will Bailey on NBC's The West Wing.
"You read about non-Jewish celebrities going to
Israel — Madonna, Christopher Reeve, Whitney
Houston. Where are the Jewish celebrities?"
Malina spoke of an event that prompted his
activism. He had been invited to participate in a Los
Angeles Federation rally in 2001 to support Israel.
"Here we were in Los Angeles, where you can't
shake a lulav without hitting a famous Jew, and the
celebrity participants were the mayor, musician Peter
Himmelman, and myself," he said. "Not exactly a
night at the opera.
"They weren't asking anyone to endorse the
Sharon government or any particular Israeli policy,
just say that Israel has the right to exist," he contin-
ued. "This was a radical statement?"
Malina also said that he filmed a video last year
"to alert Jewish students of high school age about
the type of environment they are likely to encounter
in college — one not particularly favorable to Israel.
"We want them to be prepared for that situation
and arm themselves with the facts and to engage the
other side substantively and insist that their college
administrators protect them against hate speech," he
said. The video is being distributed to synagogues
and Jewish schools around the country.
Malina said he understood producer Steven
Spielberg's low profile of support for Israel due
to past death threats, but he's puzzled about
other stars.
"It would be nice to see famous Jewish people
going to Israel taking part in the experience, show-
ing they're not afraid to go," he said. "People with
profiles much higher than mine have to help to
reach young people."
"My own feeling has always been people are as
interested in the political views of a member of the
"I call for the violation of this
immoral law. Only if we are a large
community that commits now to be
Jerusalem/JTA — Israel announced the
in Gush Katif and in northern
first university in the Galilee region.
Samaria on the day that the order is
Businessman Arnon Milchan donat-
given, and we commit to oppose the
ed $100 million for the school, Vice
evacuation physically and with firm-
Prime Minister Shimon Peres
ness and to pay the price of going to
announced. The university will be
jail, only then is there a chance that
based in the city of Carmiel and is
this government will understand the
slated to have six regional campuses.
gravity of its actions," Pinchas
Wallerstein wrote in a letter to settlers
Gaza Referendum Opposed
last Friday.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said
Jerusalem/JTA — Israeli lawmakers
Wallerstein's call to break the law was
voted down a bill that would have
dangerous,and asked the attorney gen-
authorized a referendum on the Gaza
eral to look into possible legal charges.
withdrawal plan.
Meanwhile, settlers launched a 36-
The Knesset voted 72-39 against the
hour demonstration outside the
bill, which called for a national vote
.
Knesset on Monday.
on the plan to withdraw from the
Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank
Dump Fischer, Center Says
later this year. Members of Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party,
New York/JTA — The Simon
including Finance Minister Benjamin
Wiesenthal Center protested Iceland's
Netanyahu, voted against the bill.
decision to offer citizenship to former
chess champion Bobby Fischer, who
Settlers To Rally At Knesset
continues spouting anti-Semitic and
anti-American rhetoric.
Jerusalem/JTA — An Israeli settler
After being freed from prison in
leader called on settlers to combat
Japan for passport violation charges,
evacuation with civil disobedience.
Fischer arrived in Reykjavik,
- Galilee To Get A College
3/31
2005
26
"The West Wing's" Joshua Malina in Birmingham
cast of The West Wing as they are in having their
appendectomy performed by a member of the cast
of ER," he said. "And yet that's not how the world
works. People do listen."
Iceland's capital.
Fischer, fighting attempted extradi-
tion to his native United States, was
granted citizenship by Iceland in
recognition of the historic chess games
he played there decades ago. Fischer's
mother was Jewish but his anti-
Semitism is legendary.
"The U.S. is evil," Fischer said at a
news conference, where he accused the
"Jew-controlled U.S. government" of
ruining his life.
The Wiesenthal Center's Israel
director, Efraim Zuroff, asked Iceland
to reconsider its decision, saying
Fischer already had run afoul of the
country's laws against incitement.
Army Arrests Jihadniks
Jerusalem/JTA — Israeli soldiers arrest-
ed eight Islamic Jihad terrorists sus-
pected of trying to make rockets.
The arrests were made near the
northern West Bank city of Jenin. The
terrorists were suspected of trying to
make rockets similar to the Kassam
rockets launched from the Gaza Strip
into Jewish settlements.
The terrorists threw an explosive
device at the soldiers during the opera-
tion, and one soldier was wounded.
❑
-Peace Song On Radio
Jerusalem/JTA — A bilingual Israeli
and Palestinian peace song was played
simultaneously on Israeli and
Palestinian radio stations.
"In My Heart," performed by Israeli
folk singer David Broza and
Palestinian Wisam Murad, was broad-
cast Sunday on Israel's Army Radio
and Voice of Palestine Radio.
Bread Banned On Passover
Jerusalem/JTA — Ariel Sharon
instructed the Interior Ministry to
enforce a law forbidding the display of
bread during Passover.
Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz
previously had said he did not plan to
enforce the "chametz law" this year,
leading Orthodox legislators to threat-
en a no-confidence motion against the
government.
Pines-Paz said Israel's Jewish identity
should not be built on laws that lead
to religious coercion, saying, "I myself
choose not to eat chametz during
Pesach and I fast on Yom Kippur, but
every citizen has the right to decide
for himself."