Aside from considerations of faith, what it means to be Jewish\/black\/Muslim\/Japanese is the same \u2014 to perpetuate the genes of your people and assist them in perpetuating themselves. As the preamble to the U.S. Constitution states: “For ourselves and for our posterity.” That’s the purpose of life. <\/p>\n
No people and no country has a right to exist. Every people, every country, have to establish themselves against fierce competition and defend themselves and when opportunity presents itself, go on the attack to strengthen themselves. If your country and people do not become as strong as possible, they are reducing their chances to survive. <\/p>\n
From the Jewish Journal<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cI realized how much Judaism for me was connected to yearning \u2014 to wanting what you don\u2019t have \u2014 which is maybe why Israel is so complicated emotionally for Jews: It\u2019s built into the emotional structure of our religion to yearn for a homeland we don\u2019t have,\u201d Portman wrote in the Times. Aside from considerations of faith, what it means to be Jewish\/black\/Muslim\/Japanese is the same \u2014 to perpetuate the genes of your people and assist them in perpetuating themselves. As the preamble to the U.S. Constitution states: “For ourselves and for … Continue reading
\n\u201cSo then, if we have it, what do we yearn for? We say \u2018next year in Jerusalem\u2019 as if we are still in exile. But maybe Jerusalem as an idea is never attainable \u2014 so we can keep longing for it, even when we have it.\u201d
\nPortman\u2019s eloquence on Israel is decidedly uncharacteristic of most of Jewish Hollywood. In good times and bad, Israel is a subject Jewish celebrities tend to avoid, lest they be seen as too tribal, or worse, unsympathetic to the Palestinian cause. But Portman is an exception, and, over the years, she has become a kind of a de facto defender of Israel (when I use this label with her, she laughs), especially in the face of public misconception or outright hostility toward Israel or the Jews. When a video surfaced in February 2011 of Dior chief fashion designer John Galliano spouting anti-Semitic comments in a Paris bar, Portman, then the face of a Dior fragrance, was quick to condemn him.
\n\u201cI am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano\u2019s comments,\u201d she said in a statement at the time. \u201cIn light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful.\u201d
\nGalliano was subsequently suspended from Dior. Four years later, when The Hollywood Reporter questioned her about the incident, she said she could forgive him, but not his comments. In the same story, she was equally unforgiving of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom she condemned for \u201cracist comments,\u201d which she said she was \u201cvery much against.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"