Portman Cities Political Reasons for Pulling out of Genesis Prize

The Annihilation actor Natalie Portman has denied accepting the Genesis Prize in Israel because she is ‘extremely distressed’ by the events lately. Portman says she would not travel to Israel to accept the award she was scheduled to receive in June. According to the actress, she “cannot in good conscience move forward with the ceremony.”

“Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel,” a representative of the star told the Genesis Prize Foundation, which presents the award, The Wrap reported.

The decision by the actress seems to have had large-scale repercussions. Now the June 28 ceremony in Jerusalem will most likely to be cancelled, the foundation said in a statement on Thursday.

“We are very saddened that she has decided not to attend the Genesis Prize Ceremony in Jerusalem for political reasons,” the statement said. “We fear that Ms. Portman’s decision will cause our philanthropic initiative to be politicized, something we have worked hard for the past five years to avoid.”

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Israel-born Portman hardly mentioned which “recent events” she is referring to that made her adhere to take such a decision.

“The mission of the Genesis Prize is to create a space where we can cast politics aside and come together to appreciate Jewish accomplishments that continue to contribute so much to human civilization; to contemplate Jewish identity and values and what they mean in the 21st century; to strengthen the bond between the State of Israel and the Jewish Diaspora; and to celebrate pride in being Jewish, and – especially in this 70th anniversary year – in the State of Israel,” the Genesis Prize Foundation statement continued. “We are disappointed that this year we will not be able to fulfill this mission in full.”

Feature Image Courtesy: Hollywood Reporter

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