In 2015 activist April Reign coined the term #OscarsSoWhite after none of the 20 actors nominated for Oscars that year were Black.
The viral moment paved the way for a much-needed racial reckoning throughout the entertainment industry in order to boost diversity and inclusion.
Nearly a decade on, Hollywood’s increased diversity may be something to celebrate, but its uneven inclusion efforts certainly are not.
Case in point: the Motion Picture Academy’s newly implemented Inclusion and Representation Standards for Best Picture.
Launched this year, the Standards mandate Best Picture nominees feature a precise range of diverse ethnicities, sexual identities and disability statuses.
But one thing is missing from this mandate: Jews.
According to the Academy, Jews – a mere 2.1% of the US population — are not considered minorities.
Last December, my organization, Jew in the City, penned an open letter to the Academy decrying this lack of representation signed by 450 entertainment professionals, including David Schwimmer, Amy Schumer, Juliana Margulies, Noah Schnapp, Jason Alexander, Brett Gelman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Amy Sherman-Palladino, David Shore, Greg Berlanti, and Marta Kauffman.
Why do Jews need better representation in Hollywood?
Because Jews are now the most attacked group per capita in the nation, with hate crimes against us up by 366% since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the ADL.
Representation matters because it can shift how audiences view minority groups; authentic depictions of Jews could reduce antisemitic sentiments and attacks, according to some studies.
Representation for most marginalized groups has greatly improved due to organizations like NAACP and Muslim PAC Hollywood Bureaus, who advocate for more authentic characters and better storytelling for minority communities.
The PACs develop fact sheets, conduct showrunner trainings, writer’s labs, champion authentic casting, culturally competent consultants, host Media Awards, and commission studies.
Every minority — but Jews — has had such bureaus for decades.
Finally, in 2021, my organization launched the first and only Hollywood Bureau to advocate for more equitable Jewish representation and stories.
Jewish representation remains replete with caricatures, self-erasure, tropes, inauthentic casting, and — as was the case with Bradley Cooper earlier this year, even some rubber schnozes (which earn Best Makeup nominations instead of condemnation).
The industry still fails to accommodate observant Jews.
Almost all Jewish-themed films are tied to the Holocaust.
Important stuff, for sure, but there are thousands of years of Jewish history, not less than a century.
Our letter implored the Academy to create standards that would stop Jews from being caricatured and stereotyped — enough Jewish American Princesses and evil ex-Mossad agents.
We also asked for accommodations for entertainment professionals who observe Shabbat and holidays.
These might seem given in our identity-obsessed times, but as author David Baddiel wrote a few years back, “Jews Don’t Count” because we’re seen as powerful and white; as a religious group instead of an indigenous persecuted ethnicity.
It’s not only that Jewish representation has been ignored by the entertainment industry, Jews are also starting to disappear from it.
In an effort to correct the historic wrongs of “white supremacy” (in Hollywood, that’s code for “Jews”), fewer Jews are being hired as the numbers of other minorities rise.
While an older generation of Jews may still retain leadership positions, a young Writer’s Guild of America member recently told me that white-passing Jewish men can’t get agents because no one wants to hire them.
“You had your turn,” has been explicitly said to many Jews working in the industry.
And Jewish actors continue to change their names to get parts.
Perhaps the most blatant form of Jewish erasure was at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened in 2021.
While it highlights the diversity within Hollywood, one group that was conspicuously missing from 300,000 square feet of exhibits were its Jewish founders.
This year, seven out of 20 Oscar nominated actors are people of color (higher than the percentages of the population of these minority groups), but exactly zero of them are Jewish.
In 2015, the year of #OscarsSoWhite, eight out of 28 of the Best Picture producers were Jewish.
This year, there are only three confirmed Jews out of 31.
Yes, Jews are still overrepresented according to their population, but every antisemitic regime begins with Jewish quotas, be it the Spanish Inquisition, Nazi Germany or the Farhud.
Some of the movies nominated for best picture — “Oppenheimer” and “Maestro” — are stories about Jews, played by gentiles, Cillian Murphy and Bradley Cooper.
Some might call this appropriation, which is a cancelable offense for all minority groups except one. Perhaps it’s time to launch #OscarsSoGoy.
Hollywood can be a partner in humanizing Jews instead of harming them.
The Motion Picture Academy created their Inclusion Standards to correct historic wrongs.
Hollywood has historically wronged and continues to harm the Jewish community.
The time for change is now.
Allison Josephs is the founder and executive director of Jew in the City which launched the first and only Jewish Hollywood Bureau in 2021 JITCHollywoodBureau.org
