The Jewish Federation Los Angeles has recruited prominent entertainment industry figures to launch the Jewish Entertainment Alliance, an advocacy effort to address the rise of antisemitism.
Showrunners Howard Gordon and Joel Fields, directors Jeremy Kagan and Gregg Simon and actor Ginnifer Goodwin are among those who have joined the alliance’s executive committee. Judy Friedman will serve as legal advisor to the group. Malina Saval, a veteran journalist and a former features editor at Variety, has joined Jewish Federation Los Angeles as development officer of the Entertainment, Media & Communications Network. Saval will serve as the director of the Jewish Entertainment Alliance.
“For years, many Jews in the entertainment industry have experienced an often unarticulated, creeping antisemitism,” said Gordon, known for his work on “Homeland,” “24” and many other series. “We knew we needed help navigating these challenging times, so affiliating with Jewish Federation Los Angeles felt like a really good marriage.”
The geopolitical upheaval across the world and the response to the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas that set off the war in Gaza. The Jewish Entertainment Alliance has been formed in response to movements such as the petition circulated in September that generated nearly 4,000 signatures of industry names that vowed not to work with Israel-affiliated businesses in protest of Israel’s military devastation of Gaza.
“Jews have always been, and will continue to be, a vital part of the Hollywood story,” says Rabbi Noah Farkas, JFEDLA president and CEO. “We are proud to partner with Jewish Entertainment Alliance and look forward to bringing together members of the entertainment community to support each other, foster a greater sense of Jewish solidarity within the industry, and improve Jewish representation and inclusivity so Jewish stories can continue to be told in a powerful and inspiring way.”
Other members of the executive committee include Leslie Schapira, Patrick Moss, Stuart Acher and Dan Signer. The focus per JFEDLA is to provide “expert-led guidance, a workforce support system and legal and professional tools to address the pressing challenges facing Jewish creatives today.”
“JFEDLA is dedicated to putting the values of leadership and solidarity into action,” Saval said. “Jewish Entertainment Alliance will serve as a vital platform and advocacy organization providing expert lead guidance, a workforce support system, and legal and professional tools to address the pressing challenges facing Jewish creatives today.”
In November 2023, Gordon worked with a number of writer-producers to launch the Entertainment Alliance Against Antisemitism. In September 2023, the Anti-Defamation League formed the Media and Entertainment Institute to engage with Hollywood on antisemitism and other issues.
(Pictured: Howard Gordon, Ginnifer Goodwin and Joel Fields)
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com ’
