The fall-out from Hollywood’s lack of response to the horrific terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas weeks ago keeps growing, with some industry heavyweights expressing condemnation.
Sorkin, who is best known for creating NBC’s The West Wing and for writing the film The Social Network, is returning to his previous agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME), after six years with CAA.
Gordon, a 56-year member of the union who grew up in Israel and the United tates and holds citizenship in both countries and Canada, cited the union’s delayed response to the attack on Israel as the reason.
In a letter to the WGA, Gordon, who counts himself as a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said that he could not understand why the WGA could take stances on issues like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo but not on Israel suffering a horrible attack, which killed over 1,400 people.
He called the failure of the Guild’s leadership to issue even the mildest condemnation of the worst massacre of a religious minority in the Middle East since ISIS carried out similar atrocities against the Yezidis “appalling.”
“We had no trouble, as we should not have had, weighing in after George Floyd was killed. We had no problem, as we should not have had, weighing in on the #MeToo movement. No one said at the time, ‘I don’t want to offend Bill Cosby,’” he said in an interview. “And yet you’re witness to nothing less than the worst slaughter of Jews since Nazi Germany, and you can’t find a word to say to condemn it.”
In an email to members obtained by multiple outlets, Writers Guild of America, West leaders expressed remorse for the “tremendous pain” they caused by refusing to condemn the mass murder of Jews despite the guild’s history of taking controversial political stances. Those include support for Black Lives Matter and endorsing Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020.
In an excerpt of the letter, union leaders said they “are horrified by the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7. The murder of so many innocent people in Israel is an abomination. We deeply mourn the deaths of innocent Palestinians ensnared in the violence of Gaza.”
The Guild went on to explain its decision not to weigh in on the issue, stating it had generally taken stances on domestic issues pertaining to social justice or freedom of speech, while it has avoided international tragedies.
“We did not, for example, make a comment after Russia invaded Ukraine, nor on terrorist attacks in Somalia, Pakistan or elsewhere,” it said. “It can be an imprecise science for a labor union to pick and choose where it weighs in on both domestic and world affairs.”
Nearly 400 writers have signed an open letter condemning the attacks and criticizing the union for its silence, while another group of more than 300 creative guild members signed a second letter, urging unions to resist pressure to weigh in. They argued that such a letter could be seen as endorsing Israel’s response.
“Hollywood stars and guilds alike frequently weigh in on breaking news and hot topics. The silence they displayed wasn’t an accident. But the WGA got busted for that very reason,” said Christian Toto, host of the Hollywood in Toto podcast. “You can’t be active about x, y and z and suddenly clam up on an issue as incendiary as torture.”
WGA East leaders said this week they won’t condemn the mass murder of Israelis because the branch is comprised of 40 percent journalists. Many writers for far-left news sites, including Slate and Jezebel, are represented by the WGA East.
The letter thanked the president for his “moral conviction” in the face of the conflict as well as for his understanding that the Palestinians have been “terrorized, oppressed, and victimized by Hamas for the last 17 years.”
“We all want the same thing: Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace. Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages,” it read.
That’s as many news outlets along with the GOP have linked Hamas attacking Israel to the $6 billion in funds that were unfrozen as part of the prisoner swap with Iran last month made by the Biden administration.
“The letter fawned over the Biden administration, ignoring the funding issue in play as well as White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre’s incredibly tone-deaf reaction to the wave of anti-Semitism seen across the country,” said Toto.
“The stars would never do anything to publicly stab Team Biden in the back. That’s why late-night comics and “Saturday Night Live” won’t even poke fun at his foibles,” added Toto.
