Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 10, 2011 Page: 4 of 24
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4 I March 10,2011
NEWS ANALYSIS
TEXAS JEWISH POST & SINCE 1947
he script: Charlie Sheen
John Galliano and the Jews
By Uriel Heilman
NEW YORK (JTA) — Expressions
of anti-Semitism by public figures
generally follow a certain script in
the media.
The politician/actor/public fig-
ure says something construed as of-
fensive/hostile/insensitive to Jews.
Abraham Foxman, the national
director of the Anti-Defamation
League, issues a condemnatory
statement demanding penance.
The offender expresses regret. If he
deems it sufficient, Foxman issues
his kosher certification absolving
the sinner.
The recent incidents involv-
ing Christian Dior designer John
Galliano and actor Charlie Sheen
didn't quite follow the script.
In Galliano's case, it was Israeli-
born actress Natalie Portman, a
Jewish darling and Miss Dior mod-
el, who took the lead in responding
to a video of Galliano's drunken
rant in a Paris cafe extolling Hit-
ler and disparaging Jews.
"I am deeply shocked and dis-
gusted by the video of John Gal-
liano's comments that surfaced
today," Portman said in a state-
ment last week. "In light of this
video, and as an individual who is
proud to be Jewish, I will not be
associated with Mr. Galliano in
any way."
Galliano
fired> and
opened an
Photo: Angela George / Creative Commons
CBS fired actor Charlie Sheeri from the sitcom "Two and a Half Men" following a
series of bizarre outbursts that started with a tirade referring to Chuck Lorre, his
Jewish boss, as Chaim Levine.
was peremptorily
French authorities
investigation into
whether Galliano should be pros-
ecuted for violating France's anti-
racism laws.
Then there was the Sheen dra-
ma, whose script seemed lifted
straight from the loonybin.
The actor, a notorious loose
cannon and habitual drug user,
unleashed a vitriolic tirade
against Chuck Lorre, the creator
of his hit CBS comedy "Two and
a Half Men," referring to Lorre by
his original, Jewish name: Chaim
Levine.
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Foxman, apparently undecided
about whether this was anti-Sem-
itism or merely a personal spat
between Sheen and Lorre, issued
a statement declaring it "border-
line anti-Semitism."
Sheen then went off the rails,
giving increasingly bizarre in-
terviews, calling on Foxman to
apologize and, after days of non-
stop media coverage, announcing
that he couldn't be anti-Semitic
because he is himself Jewish.
The coup de grace came Mon-
day when CBS fired Sheen and
the actor then appeared on a Bev-
erly Hills rooftop waving a ma-
chete and declaring himself "Free
at last."
What are we Jews to make of
this?
For the most part, the Jew-
ish reaction broke down in one
of two ways: Either the incidents
showed that anti-Semitism is alive
and well, or they said more about
celebrity stupidity — and Jewish
overreaction — than about anti-
Semitism.
Or both. Jeffrey Goldberg of
The Atlantic wryly noted "the
disproportionate interest drunks
and lunatics take in Jews and their
meddling and mysterious ways."
Coupling the Sheen and Gal-
liano remarks together with Louis
Farrakhan's recent speech blam-
ing the Jews for Jesus' death and
Muammar Gadhafi's accusation
that Israel is behind the Libyan
rebellion, Foxman said the in-
cidents are "a symptom of what
we have been warning about for
some time — that the inhibitions
and shame about displaying anti-
Semitism are eroding."
Haaretz's Anshel Pfeffer said
the swift reaction to the Galliano
and Sheen remarks show just the
opposite, "that anti-Semitism
in the 21st century, despite what
certain august bodies such as the
Anti-Defamation League tell us,
is simply unfashionable."
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chroni-
cle added into the mix Fox News
host Glenn Beck's recent remarks
comparing Reform rabbis to radi-
cal Islam — an incident that fol-
lowed the usual script of callous
remark, ADL condemnation,
apology, ADL acceptance — de-
claring them incidents of stupid-
ity rather than anti-Semitism.
To "point the finger of the Jew-
ish establishment and call Sheen
anti-Semitic cheapens the weight
of an ADL statement," the Chron-
icle editorialists wrote. "Jews must
be wary not to label every criti-
cism, awkward comparison or
stupid remark as anti-Semitic."
To confuse matters further,
Galliano reportedly told a "mem-
ber of his inner circle" that he
has Sephardic Jewish roots. That
would give his anti-Semitic rant
a Bobby Fischer-esque character
— except that Galliano, unlike
the late, self-hating Jewish chess
champion, issued an apology by
week's end.
"Anti-Semitism and racism
have no part in our society," Gal-
liano said. "I unreservedly apolo-
gize for my behavior in causing
any offense."
The ADL promptly declared
Galliano forgiven.
"We look forward to work-
ing with him to move forward in
helping to repair the damage so
that he can contribute once again
toward the fight against prejudice,
intolerance and discrimination,"
Foxman said.
Perhaps the greatest question
about all this celebrity brouhaha is
why the media is so transfixed by
these episodes.
The same question, of course,
maybe asked of JTA and our deci-
sion to weigh in on the subject with
a story of our own. The answer, of
course, is you, dear reader: We'd
probably stop writing such stories
if you'd stop reading them.
TUP
TEXAS JEWISH P0ST$S!NCE 1947
Jimmy Wisch
Publisher & Editor | 1947-2002
Rene Wisch
Publisher & Editor | 1947-2010
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
Sharon Wisch-Ray
sharonw@texasjewishpost.com
VP SALES & MARKETING
Amy Doty
a myd@texa sjewish post.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Phyllis LaVietes
phyllisl@texasjewishpost.com
STAFF WRITER
Rachel Gross Weinstein
rachelg@texasjewishpost.com
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Laurie James, DebSilverthorn,
Steve Wisch
AD REPRESENTATIVES
Nancy Sadicarios
n a ncys@texa sjewis h post.com
Judy Wisch, Linda Wisch Davidsohn
ART DIRECTOR
Delia Jalomo deliaj@texasjewishpost.com
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Wisch-Ray, Sharon. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 10, 2011, newspaper, March 10, 2011; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188335/m1/4/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .