Mega film studio Paramount has denounced a pledge this week by more than 4,000 actors and filmmakers, including some Hollywood A-listers, to boycott the Israeli film industry — accusing it of being complicit in “genocide and apartheid” against Palestinians. Paramount is the first of the major movie studios to condemn the pledge, according to Deadline. … Read more
BASEL, Switzerland — Classically trained Austrian singer JJ won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland on Saturday with “Wasted Love,” a song that combines operatic, multi-octave vocals with a techno twist. Israeli singer Yuval Raphael came second at an exuberant celebration of music and unity that was shadowed by the Gaza war and rattled by discord over Israel’s participation. … Read more
After being shot in both legs by a Hamas sniper in Gaza, Israeli reservist and New York native Aaron Bours is among the many soldiers pioneering the use of cutting-edge rehabilitative technologies that have been a result of Israel’s war with Hamas. Bours, now 34, moved from Long Island to Israel as a teenager to … Read more
They weren’t laughing. Comedian Dave Chappelle criticized the United States for backing Israel’s “war crimes” against Palestinians during a live performance in Boston Thursday, prompting some audience members to walk out, according to a report. The controversial comic made the remarks during a show at the TD Garden on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported. … Read more