Actors Boycott Ariel Settlement
Theodore Bikel, Mira Nair, Julianne Moore, Harold Prince, Vanessa Redgrave, Miriam Margolyes, Stephen Sondheim, Cynthia Nixon, Tony Kushner, Mandy Patinkin, Eve Ensler, Jennifer Tilly, Ed Asner, Wallace Shawn, and James Schamus are some of the 150 American and British stage, screen, and television personalities that have signed their names in support of the Israeli actors, directors, and playwrights” boycott of Israeli settlements.
On August 27, dozens of Israeli artists decided they would not perform in Ariel, one of the largest of West Bank settlements.
“We wish to express our disgust with the theater”s board”s plans to perform in the new auditorium in Ariel,” they wrote in a letter to the
boards of Israel”s repertory theaters. “The actors among us hereby declare that we will refuse to perform in Ariel, as well as in any other settlement. We urge the boards to hold their activity within the sovereign borders of the State of Israel within the Green Line.”
Rebecca Vilkomerson, Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace, is quoted as stating that “we hope that the strong show of solidarity by Americans in response to these brave Israelis will help spark a new conversation in both countries, one that acknowledges that the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are illegal by every measure of international law, contribute to the daily violation of human rights of Palestinians, and are a major obstacle to a just peace in the region.”
The statement of support and list of signatories, which is regularly updated, can be found at Jewish Voice for Peace.
