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‘Barbenheimer,’ ‘Maestro’ and ‘The Zone of Interest’ lead large crop of Jewish-inspired Oscar nominations
(JTA) – The year’s biggest movie phenomenon was a one-two punch of blockbusters with Jewish roots — and they both came up big at Tuesday’s Oscar nominations.
“Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the Jewish “father of the atomic bomb,” led the year’s nominations with 13, including best picture and director, and is favored by many prognosticators to win the big prize.
The film’s rendition of J. Robert Oppenheimer covers a fair amount of Jewish ground, including his personal animus toward the Nazis; his recruitment of expelled European Jewish scientists to work on the bomb; his relationship with Albert Einstein, and his late-in-life rivalry with Jewish atomic energy bureaucrat Lewis Strauss. Both Cillian Murphy, who plays Oppenheimer, and Robert Downey Jr., who plays Strauss, were nominated for acting Oscars, as was Emily Blunt, who plays Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty.
Ruth Handler holds a Barbie that was created for the doll’s 40th anniversary in 1999. (Jeff Christensen/Getty Images)
The movie’s summer release-date companion and partner-in-memes, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” picked up eight nominations, including best picture. The doll at the center of the musical comedy was created by Jewish inventor Ruth Handler (a minor character in the movie, played by Rhea Perlman). Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, an executive producer on the film who greenlit Gerwig’s playful take on the property, is Israeli and helped organize a controversial Los Angeles screening of footage of the Hamas attacks that was protested by pro-Palestinian groups.
Also nominated from the film are Gerwig’s partner Noah Baumbach, a credited co-writer, and composer Mark Ronson for best original song. Both are Jewish.
Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper in “Maestro.” (Netflix)
Another Jewish-themed contender this year, Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” was the subject of some derision upon its premiere for Cooper’s use of a prosthetic nose to play Jewish composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein. But the biopic, a passion project of Cooper’s, sailed over the objections and picked up seven nominations — including, notably, for best makeup. (It was joined in the latter category by “Golda,” the biopic of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, which starred Helen Mirren.)
“Maestro” was also nominated for best picture, with producer Steven Spielberg among the nominated names, as well as lead actor for Cooper and lead actress for Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre, the actress whose paternal grandfather was Jewish and who in real life converted to Judaism for Bernstein.
A scene from Jonathan Glazer’s film “The Zone of Interest” (Courtesy of A24)
Meanwhile, “The Zone of Interest,” a challenging and formally daring cinematic take on the Holocaust, picked up five nominations, including for best picture and best international feature (submitted by the United Kingdom). The film is loosely based on the real-life Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, and is directed by British Jewish filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, who was nominated for best director and best adapted screenplay (he based it loosely on the novel of the same name by Martin Amis, who died last year).
Nolan’s screenplay for Oppenheimer was also nominated; he adapted it from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Oppenheimer biography “American Prometheus,” co-written by Kai Bird, who grew up watching his American diplomat father try to negotiate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and later married a Jewish woman who was the daughter of Holocaust survivors. After his Oppenheimer work, Bird published a 2010 memoir, “Crossing Mandelbaum Gate,” describing his firsthand experiences watching Israeli-Arab diplomatic efforts.
While several actors were nominated for playing Jewish roles, no actual Jews received acting nominations this year — despite what many critics called a career-best performance by Natalie Portman in the Netflix film “May December.”
Notable Jews scored some nominations deeper down on the list. Diane Warren, the Jewish veteran songwriter, received her 15th nomination for penning “The Fire Inside,” from Hulu’s “Flaming Hot.” Warren has never won an Oscar, but did receive an honorary award in 2022.
And Robbie Robertson, the rock star born to a Native American mother and a Jewish father — and who learned of his Jewish heritage late in life — received a posthumous nomination for best original score for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” about the Osage Nation murders. Robertson, who died last year, was a member of The Band and a regular collaborator with “Flower Moon” director Martin Scorsese.
Not to be outdone, two movies based on works by authors who have made antisemitic comments also received some nominations. “The Color Purple,” the new musical based on the Alice Walker novel (which followed Spielberg’s 1985 movie), was nominated for best supporting actress, while “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” Wes Anderson’s Netflix movie based on the Roald Dahl short story, was nominated for live-action short.
Walker has endorsed antisemitic conspiracy theorists in interviews. Dahl’s family and a museum dedicated to his work have both acknowledged and apologized for his antisemitism in recent years.
The Oscars will air March 10 on ABC.
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The post ‘Barbenheimer,’ ‘Maestro’ and ‘The Zone of Interest’ lead large crop of Jewish-inspired Oscar nominations appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Hamas Continues to Praise Western Countries for Recognizing Palestinian State
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at a Labor party election night event, after local media projected the Labor Party’s victory, on the day of the Australian federal election, in Sydney, Australia, May 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hollie Adams
The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is once again praising Western countries for recognizing a Palestinian state, most recently commending Australia for its decision to do so at the United Nations General Assembly next month.
“We welcome Australia’s decision to recognize the state of Palestine, and consider it an important step towards achieving justice for our people and securing their legitimate rights,” Hamas senior leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination,” he said, urging the Australian government to turn this recognition into concrete action “by exerting diplomatic pressure to end the Israeli occupation.”
“We call on all countries, especially those that believe in freedom and human dignity, to follow Australia’s example and translate their positions into practical steps to support the Palestinian people and end their suffering under occupation,” the statement continued.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his government’s decision earlier this week, joining France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other nations in pledging to recognize a Palestinian state next month.
Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad previously praised Canadian, British, and French plans to recognize a Palestinian state as “the fruits of Oct. 7,” citing the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as the reason for increasing Western support.
“The fruits of Oct. 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue,” the terror leader said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Israeli officials and opponents of such recognition argue that Hamad’s remarks demonstrate that these countries are, in effect, rewarding acts of terrorism.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Albanese’s government dismissed such accusations, arguing that Hamas would in fact oppose the recognition of a Palestinian state, since the terrorist group would have no role in its future governance.
The spokesperson even condemned Hamas for attempting to “manipulate facts for their own propaganda” after the group hailed his decision as an “important step towards achieving justice.”
Albanese echoed those sentiments in a media interview with “Today,” saying, “Hamas is opposed to two states. This is the opposite of what Hamas wants. Hamas wants one state.”
US and Israeli officials criticized Australia’s latest decision, arguing that the recognition effectively “rewards” Palestinian terrorists.
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel accused Albanese of being “detached from reality.”
In an interview with “Sid & Friends In The Morning,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday dismissed Western plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month, calling the move “”meaningless.”
“It’s symbolic, and they’re doing it primarily for one reason, and that is their internal politics, their domestic politics,” Rubio said.
“In the UK, in France, in many parts of Europe and Ireland, for a long time their domestic politics have turned anti-Israel or whatever it may be, and they’re getting a lot of domestic pressure to do something,” he continued.
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Democratic Socialists of America Makes Support for Israel’s Right to Self-Defense an ‘Expellable Offense’
A protester holds a sign that reads, ”From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” during a pro-Palestinian emergency demonstration outside the Consulate General of Israel in Houston, Texas, on March 19, 2025. Photo: Reginald Mathalone via Reuters Connect
At its 2025 National Convention this past weekend, the Democratic Socialists of America adopted a contentious resolution titled “For a Fighting Anti-Zionist DSA,” further crystallizing the far-left organization’s anti-Israel views.
The measure, which passed by a margin of 56 percent to 43 percent, “unequivocally affirms” the DSA’s “commitment” to the Thawabit, a Palestinian nationalist framework that includes the so-called “right of return” for millions of Palestinians and their descendants, claims to Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital, and explicit support for so-called “resistance” against Israel. Palestinian leaders and activists have described the Thawabit as a set of principles aimed at eliminating Israel and establishing a Palestinian state in its place.
The DSA, the largest socialist organization in the US which counts members of the US Congress among its ranks, has previously opposed US military aid to Israel and supported the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against the Jewish state. However, the resolution passed on Sunday marks an escalation.
According to the resolution, various actions in support of Israel, such as “making statements that ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’” and “endorsing statements equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism,” will now be considered an “expellable offense,” subject to a vote by the DSA’s National Political Committee.
The resolution’s passage underscores the widening gulf in the US between far-left activists and mainstream Democrats, who have generally supported Israel’s right to self-defense and to live in security even if they’ve been critical of the Israeli war effort in Gaza. DSA members celebrated the vote as a bold stand for Palestinian liberation, but some observers have suggested that it could alienate allies and normalize extremist rhetoric.
With roughly 78,000 members nationwide, the DSA represents a small fraction of the Democratic Party’s base. But its convention votes often reverberate in progressive political spaces.
DSA has ramped up its anti-Israel rhetoric during the Gaza war. On Oct. 7, 2023, the organization issued a statement saying that Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel that day was “a direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime.” The organization also encouraged its followers to attend an Oct. 8 “All Out for Palestine” event in Manhattan.
In January 2024, DSA issued a statement calling for an “end to diplomatic and military support of Israel.” Then in April, the organization’s international committee, DSA IC, issued a missive defending Iran’s right to “self-defense” against Israel. Iranian leaders regularly call for the Jewish state’s destruction, and Tehran has long provided Hamas with weapons and funding.
The vote also comes amid the political ascendence of New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, a high-profile DSA member and outspoken critic of Israel. Mamdani, who has called Israel an “apartheid state” and endorsed boycotts of Israeli institutions, has established himself as a leading voice for the party’s anti-Zionist wing.
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New York Man Sentenced for Firing Shotgun Outside Synagogue
Mufid Fawaz Alkhader. Photo: Screenshot.
US federal law officials on Tuesday announced the sentencing of a man who fired a pump-action shotgun outside the Temple Israel synagogue in Albany, New York to express his anti-Israel views and intimidate Jewish community members.
The perpetrator, 29-year-old Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, committed the offense on Dec. 7, 2023, exactly two months after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, amid preparations for the observance of Hanukkah. According to the US Justice Department, he commuted there via Uber from his residence in Schenectady, a city of the Capital Region that once possessed a thriving manufacturing sector and large middle class. Positioning himself in the front entrance, Alkhader discharged his firearm, purchased illegally, twice “into the air” as he bellowed “Free Palestine.”
His gun jammed on the third attempt, after which he turned his frustration on an Israeli flag pitched in front of the institution, the Justice Department said in a press release announcing the sentencing on Tuesday. Local law enforcement later apprehended Alkhader, but the security incident he precipitated frightened the congregation, causing it to “cancel a planned concert and candle lighting ceremony to celebrate Hanukkah that evening.”
Alkhader ultimately faced several criminal charges — for purchasing an illegal firearm, violating the religious rights of Temple Israel’s worshippers, and wielding a weapon while committing a violent crime. He will serve ten years in lockup and five years of supervised release.
“This shooting, outside of a synagogue on the eve of a Hanukkah celebration, was unfortunately emblematic of the antisemitic violence, rhetoric, and practices that have swept this country over the last few years,” acting US attorney John Sarcone for the Northern District of New York said in a statement. “This year, the Justice Department has emphatically said — through its words and actions — no more. My office, with our law enforcement partners, will do everything within our powers to make sure everyone in the Northern District of New York can exercise their right to practice their religion without fear and violence and hatred.”
Alkhader’s assault on Temple Israel occurred during an unrelenting wave of over 10,000 antisemitic incidents that hit the American Jewish community in the first year after Oct. 7. According to a 2024 report published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center on Extremism on the first anniversary of Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel, antisemitic incidents in the US increased 200 percent. Thirty percent of the incidents recorded took place on college campuses and another 12 percent happened during anti-Israel protests. Another 20 percent targeted Jewish institutions, including nonprofit organizations and houses of worship. Of these, 50 percent were bomb threats.
The hatred has carried into 2025.
In June, a gunman murdered two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, while they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum hosted by a major Jewish organization. The suspect charged for the double murder, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, yelled “Free Palestine” while being arrested by police after the shooting, according to video of the incident. The FBI affidavit supporting the criminal charges against Rodriguez stated that he told law enforcement he “did it for Gaza.”
Less than two weeks later, a man firebombed a crowd of people who were participating in a demonstration to raise awareness of the Israeli hostages who remain imprisoned by Hamas in Gaza. A victim of the attack, Karen Diamond, 82, later died, having sustained severe, fatal injuries.
Another antisemitic incident motivated by anti-Zionism occurred in San Francisco, where an assailant identified by law enforcement as Juan Diaz-Rivas and others allegedly beat up a Jewish victim in the middle of the night. Diaz-Rivas and his friends approached the victim while shouting “F—k the Jews, Free Palestine,” according to local prosecutors.
“[O]ne of them punched the victim, who fell to the ground, hit his head and lost consciousness,” the San Francisco district attorney’s office said in a statement. “Allegedly, Mr. Diaz-Rivas and others in the group continued to punch and kick the victim while he was down. A worker at a nearby business heard the altercation and antisemitic language and attempted to intervene. While trying to help the victim, he was kicked and punched.”
According to the latest data released by the FBI earlier this month, antisemitic hate crimes in the US have been tallying to break all previous statistical records. In 2024, even as hate crimes decreased overall, those perpetrated against Jews increased by 5.8 percent in 2024 to 1,938, the largest total recorded in over 30 years of the FBI’s counting them. Jewish American groups have noted that this surge, which included 178 assaults, is being experienced by a demographic group which constitutes just 2 percent of the US population.
A striking 69 percent of all religion-based hate crimes that were reported to the FBI in 2024 targeted Jews, with 2,041 out of 2,942 total such incidents being antisemitic in nature. Muslims were targeted the next highest amount as the victims of 256 offenses, or about 9 percent of the total.
“As the Jewish community is still reeling from two deadly antisemitic attacks in the past few months, the record-high number of anti-Jewish hate crime incidents tracked by the FBI in 2024 is consistent with ADL’s reporting and, more importantly, with the Jewish community’s current lived experience,” ADL chief executive officer Jonathan Greenblatt said at the time. “Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, Jewish Americans have not had a moment of respite and have experienced antisemitism at K-12 school, on college campuses, in the public square, at work, and Jewish institutions.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.