Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein sharply criticized filmmaker Steven Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation over grants it has made to progressive Jewish organizations that Klein accused of working against Israel and endangering the Jewish people.
Klein, who is the child of Holocaust survivors, was responding to an exposé by Israeli-American activist, Betar leader and ZOA Coalition member Ronn Torossian titled "Where Schindler's List Money Went."
According to Klein, Torossian used IRS Form 990 filings to document millions of dollars in grants made by the Righteous Persons Foundation, which Spielberg established using profits from his acclaimed Holocaust film Schindler's List.
"This misuse of monies from Spielberg's Holocaust film is despicable, shameful and frightening," Klein charged.
"The brave German industrialist Oskar Schindler and the Jews whom Schindler saved must be rolling over in their graves," he added. "The descendants of 'Schindler's Jews' are now endangered by the organizations funded with Spielberg's profits."
Klein cited Torossian's report as identifying several recipients of the foundation's funding, including Bend the Arc, which reportedly received $1.2 million; Jews United for Justice, which received approximately $925,000; T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, which received approximately $690,000; and the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, which received approximately $250,000.
Klein particularly criticized Bend the Arc over its opposition to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism and its political activities. He noted that the organization's political arm endorsed Zohran Mamdani in his campaign for mayor of New York City and supported his candidacy through fundraising, canvassing and advertising.
He also leveled harsh criticism at T'ruah, accusing the organization of repeatedly promoting positions hostile to Israel. Among other issues, Klein cited T'ruah's criticism of Israeli military operations in Gaza, its opposition to the IHRA definition, its partnership with Breaking the Silence and its campaigns concerning Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.
Klein further accused T'ruah and like-minded organizations of supporting efforts during wartime to block arms sales to Israel, saying such efforts endangered Israeli and Jewish lives.
He also criticized the organization over its campaign against the tax-exempt status of pro-Israel Jewish charities and over its focus on what it describes as "settler violence" in Judea and Samaria. Klein rejected that terminology, describing it as a "blood libel" that he said distorts incidents involving attacks against Jews.
The ZOA president said a review of the Righteous Persons Foundation's tax filings revealed grants to additional organizations he regards as hostile to Israel, including the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Klein criticized the JCPA for spearheading a letter opposing measures by the Trump administration targeting anti-Israel activity on American college campuses. He characterized those measures as efforts to prevent Hamas supporters from attacking Jewish students.
The controversy, Klein argued, is particularly painful because of the source of the foundation's original funding. Spielberg has said that he did not personally accept a salary for Schindler's List, and profits associated with the film helped establish charitable initiatives devoted to Jewish causes and Holocaust remembrance.
Klein contrasted the grants highlighted in Torossian's report with what he said was an absence of funding for organizations that actively defend Israel and Jewish students.
Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation "apparently gives no grants to Jewish organizations that defend Israel against libels and demonization, protect Jewish students on college campuses, protect Jewish safety, and truly stand up for the besieged Jewish descendants of Holocaust victims and survivors," Klein charged.
"Shameful," he concluded.