Jewish Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman spoke out against antisemitism following a series of highly-publicized antisemitic incidents in an Instagram post on Sunday night.
“Seeing the re-emergence of antisemitism makes my heart drop,” she said. “This hatred must be combated with boundless love for each other. Today, I send extra love to my fellow Jews. And I send love to all those standing with us against these violent words and actions. It's been painful and frightening to listen to, and I'm extremely grateful to those who continue to speak up against antisemitism with us, and against all forms of racism.”
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Public antisemitic incidents from Kanye West, Donald Trump, Kyrie Irving
Portman's post comes after rapper Ye, a.k.a. Kanye West, made repeated statements against Jews on Twitter and in interviews, including praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and saying that "Jewish people have their hand on every single business that controls the world."
It also comes after former US president Donald Trump was widely criticized for hosting West and white nationalist Nick Fuentes at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and after NBA player Kyrie Irving shared a link to an antisemitic film.
Increasing antisemitism in the United States
Antisemitic incidents have increased in the United States from 2020 to 2021, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The organization reported 2,717 antisemitic incidents, including harassment, vandalism and assault, in the country last year compared to 2,026 incidents in 2020, a 34% increase and the highest number ever recorded since the group started tracking such incidents in 1979.
Gadi Zaig contributed to this report.