Actress Natalie Portman: Re-emergence of antisemitism makes my heart drop

Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman on Sunday spoke out against the "re-emergence" of antisemitism in America.

"Seeing the re-emergence of antisemitism makes my heart drop," Portman said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

"This hatred must be combatted with boundless love for each other. Today, I send love to all my fellow Jews. And I send love to all those standing with us against these violent words and actions. It’s been painful and frightening to listen to, and I’m extremely grateful to those who continue to speak up against antisemitism with us, and against all forms of racism," she added.

While the Jerusalem-born actress did not mention any names, the post came days after rapper Kanye West caused an uproar with his latest antisemitic statements.

Yahoo! Entertainment noted that Portman shared a tweet from President Joe Biden from Friday, which called Hitler a "demonic figure" and stated that political figures should condemn antisemitism. She also shared one from Vice President Kamala Harris, which read that "praising Hitler and denying the Holocaust is vile, appalling, and must be condemned".

Neither Biden nor Harris mentioned West’s name, but both their statements came after West made antisemitic remarks during an interview with Alex Jones of Infowars. In that interview, the rapper said he “loves everyone,” including Jews, as well as Nazis, spoke favorably of Hitler and denied the Holocaust.

Hours later, West posted an image blending a swastika with a star of David on Twitter. In response, Twitter owner Elon Musk announced that West’s account had been suspended for violation of Twitter rules that prohibit calls for violence against other individuals or groups.

Portman is not the only actress to have spoken out against West. In October, after West went on antisemitic rant on Twitter, Israeli actress Gal Gadot responded by tweeting out "Proud Jew," alongside a picture of herself.