From Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber among celebrities condemning calls to bar Israel from Eurovision
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
A range of celebrities and Hollywood luminaries have signed onto a letter of support for Israel appearing in this year’s Eurovision amid a wave of calls for the country to be barred from competing.
The letter, organized by the nonprofit Creative Community for Peace, was signed by more than 400 people, including actress Helen Mirren, actor Liev Schreiber, singer Boy George, Sharon Osbourne, actress Selma Blair, music producer Scooter Braun, musician Gene Simmons and actress Emmy Rossum.
The letter reads in part: “We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”
“We believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music,” the letter continues, concluding: “Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics.”
Signatory Gene Simmons says in a statement that “those advocating to exclude an Israeli singer from Eurovision don’t move the needle towards peace, but only further divide the world.”
Calls to bar Israel have emanated from artists in a number of countries, most notably Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Ireland, but the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the Eurovision, has repeatedly rebuffed any such move.
Israel this year is sending 20-year-old Eden Golan to the contest later this year in Sweden, with her song to be announced next month.
