ZOA President Mort Klein Slams ‘Beautiful’ Natalie Portman As ‘Not Too Bright’
April 25, 2018 By Aiden Pink
After Natalie Portman announced that she would withdraw from the Genesis Prize awards ceremony in Israel to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of her harshest American critics has been the Zionist Organization of America and its president, Morton Klein. Now, Klein has stepped it up a notch, drawing criticism in the process.
“Natalie Portman’s absurd, uninformed, inaccurate, dangerous views on Israel, while ignoring the anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist views/actions of Hamas and Palestinian Authority gives credibility and legitimacy to the ludicrous, false, nonsensical belief that beautiful women aren’t too bright,” Klein wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
Klein’s remark was denounced on Twitter.
“Can’t say I’m surprised by this breathtakingly misogynist @MortonAKlein7 tweet on Harvard-educated #NataliePortman, whom he reduces to a ‘beautiful woman,’ Debra Shushan of Americans for Peace Now wrote.
Portman “LITERALLY went to Harvard,” Allison Kaplan Sommer of Haaretz pointed out.
And Rabbi Jill Jacobs of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights wrote that she had reported Klein to Twitter’s support team. “#NotOKForAJewishLeader #Misogyny” she added.
Klein previously co-wrote an op-ed for the Jewish News Service on Tuesday that was scathing in his criticism of Portman.
“Doesn’t she realize that without Israel defending her border against Hamas assaults, and without Israel defending her people from the deadly Palestinian Arab attacks on Jews incited by and paid for by Palestinian Authority dictator Abbas, there would be no ‘Israeli friends, Israeli food, books, art, cinema and dance’? Ms. Portman’s obtuseness is mind-boggling,” Klein and Liz Berney wrote.
“Ms. Portman’s disgraceful statements and reneging on her trip to Israel show contempt for everything she claims to care about,” they added.
Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink
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