Barbra Streisand to release new song in response to rising antisemitism in the world

Barbra Streisand, the acclaimed Jewish singer and actress, is releasing a new song inspired by the global rise in antisemitism, streaming service Peacock announced Wednesday.

The song, “Love Will Survive,” will be used for the closing credits of the upcoming series “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” produced by Peacock and Sky Original, and will be released April 25.

The first single Streisand has recorded for television, it was composed by two-time Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer, Emmy nominee Kara Talve and Grammy winner Walter Afanasieff, and the lyrics were written by Grammy and Golden Globe nominee Charlie Midnight.

“The Tattooist of Auschwitz” is based on the 2018 novel by Heather Morris and inspired by the true story of Holocaust survivor Lali Sokolov. The series follows the story of a Slovakian Jew who was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp and became a tattooist charged with inking identification numbers on the arms of prisoners. There, he meets another prisoner and the two fall in love, despite their horrific surroundings.

“Because of the rise in antisemitism around the world today, I wanted to sing ‘Love Will Survive’ in the context of this series, as a way of remembering the six million souls who were lost less than 80 years ago,” Streisand said. “And also to say that even in the darkest of times, the power of love can triumph and endure.”

Streisand has spoken out against antisemitism throughout her career, especially since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, which saw terrorists kill nearly 1,200 people in Israel and kidnap 253.

My new song “Love Will Survive” from the upcoming Sky/Peacock Original Limited Series The Tattooist of Auschwitz will be released on April 25th. Because of the rise in antisemitism around the world today, I wanted to sing ‘Love Will Survive’ in the context of this series, as a… pic.twitter.com/ykSPm4uNPQ

— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) April 17, 2024

In an acceptance speech in February for the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild, Streisand spoke about antisemitism in her industry, mentioning “men like Szmuel Gelbfisz, who changed his name to Samuel Goldwyn, Lazar Meir who became Louis B. Mayer and the four Wonskolaser brothers who became Warner Brothers. They were all fleeing the prejudice they faced in Eastern Europe, simply because of their religion.”

Antisemitism has been on the rise in the US since October 7. FBI director Christopher Wray said Wednesday that the number of investigations into antisemitic hate crimes in the US has tripled in the months since Hamas’s massacre. That message came a day after an annual report by the Anti-Defamation League likewise showed a surge in antisemitism following October 7.

There has been a similar spike in antisemitism in countries around the world in the wake of the Hamas attack, with much of it coming in the guise of pro-Palestinian activism.

Antisemitism around the world has been described as reaching levels not seen in decades. Last November, a German monitoring group reported a 320 percent increase in antisemitic incidents compared to the same time period a year before.

As part of an intimidation campaign, some people in Berlin have started marking the buildings where Jews live pic.twitter.com/DapVPnIJ6v

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 14, 2023

A Jewish global task force against Jewish hatred reported in October a “500% increase in documented antisemitic incidents” in Britain, while Swiss Jewish organizations found antisemitism nearly tripled in Switzerland since October 7.

Antisemitic acts in France nearly quadrupled in 2023 compared with the previous year, the Council of Jewish Institutions in France reported in January.

Agencies contributed to this report.