The recent rise of antisemitism in public discourse — driven in large part by Kanye “Ye” West — has so alarmed President Joe Biden that he took to Twitter on Dec. 2. “The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure,” he wrote. “Silence is complicity.”
When THR crossed paths with Ben Platt recently, he said the same.
“This kind of thing seems to be appropriate for a lot of people to pass over and not comment. As a Jew, I really notice all of the silence,” said the actor and performer, now starring in Prime Video’s The People We Hate at the Wedding.
That said, he adds, “If anyone happens to read this and wants to say something, either through a simple or even passive showing of support, it means a lot to Jewish people right now who are feeling a little left in the lurch. I hope that it becomes something we can’t really ignore the way that we so beautifully don’t ignore so many other biases and forms of oppression. I’m hoping that those kinds of conversations can apply themselves to the Jewish people as well.”
This story first appeared in the Dec. 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
