Glazer's film, "The Zone of Interest," which portrays the life of the Nazi commandant of Auschwitz and his family living adjacent to the concentration camp, was honored with two Oscars at the 96th annual Academy Awards ceremony this past Sunday. During his acceptance speech for Best International Feature, Glazer made a controversial statement, drawing parallels between the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict and the dehumanization that led to the Holocaust.
"Our film illustrates the extreme consequences of dehumanization... At this moment, we stand here as men who reject their Jewishness and the Holocaust being commandeered by an occupation, which has resulted in conflict for countless innocent individuals - whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing assault on Gaza - all the victims of this dehumanization… how do we resist?" Glazer questioned.
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David Schaecter, the president of the Holocaust Survivors’ Foundation USA, responded to Glazer's comments in an open letter on Monday, expressing his distress over Glazer's comparison of Israel to Hamas and the Holocaust.
"I was filled with sorrow on Sunday night when I heard you use the Oscars ceremony as a platform to equate Hamas's ruthless violence against innocent Israelis with Israel's challenging but necessary self-defense in response to Hamas's continuous savagery. Your remarks were factually incorrect and ethically indefensible," wrote Schaecter, a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor.
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Schaecter further clarified, "The 'occupation' you mention has no connection to the Holocaust. The Jewish people's existence and their right to reside in the land of Israel predates the Holocaust by centuries. The current political and geographic landscape is a direct consequence of wars initiated by past Arab leaders who rejected the presence of Jewish people in our historical homeland. Now, as several Arab nations are establishing peace with Israel for the benefit of security and prosperity for all, Iran and its terrorist proxies have instigated another war, supported by many who, out of naivety or malice, blame 'the occupation.'"
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Schaecter also labeled Glazer's use of the Holocaust to criticize Israel while accepting an award for a film set in Auschwitz as "disgraceful."
"It is even more reprehensible that you chose to use the Holocaust to substantiate your personal viewpoint. You created a Holocaust movie and won an Oscar. And you are Jewish. Good for you. However, it is disgraceful for you to presume to speak on behalf of the six million Jews, including one and a half million children, who were murdered solely because of their Jewish identity," Schaecter stated.
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He added, "And it is disgraceful for you to presume to speak for those of us who personally witnessed the world remain silent as our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were murdered. We truly had nowhere to go - no possible refuge. No country would accept us even though world leaders were fully aware that thousands of Jews were being murdered daily. There was no Jewish nation to which we could escape. You should be ashamed of yourself for using Auschwitz to criticize Israel."
Schaecter's sentiments were echoed by 18 members of the Holocaust Survivors’ Foundation USA Executive Committee and 24 other member organizations.
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