Steven Spielberg calls out recent rise of antisemitism: "No longer lurking"
"Not since Germany in the '30s have I witnessed antisemitism no longer lurking, but standing proud with hands on hips like Hitler and Mussolini," said Spielberg
While discussing his Oscar-nominated film The Fabelmans on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert this past Thursday night, director Steven Spielberg took the time to criticize the recent wave of antisemitism that’s been on the uptick in the last few years.
In the beginning part of the interview, Spielberg dived into his initial apprehensions in creating The Fabelmans and his experience of discovering his mother’s affair via editing a camping trip film, which is used to similar effect in the film. After bringing up the antisemitic attacks dealt towards Jewish lead character Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) by his school bullies, Colbert asked the Schindler’s List director if he was at all surprised in the rise of antisemitism in the U.S. and across the world.
“I find it very, very surprising,” answered Spielberg. “Antisemitism has always been there, it’s either been just around the corner and slightly out of sight but always lurking, or it has been much more overt like in Germany in the ’30s. But not since Germany in the ’30s have I witnessed antisemitism no longer lurking, but standing proud with hands on hips like Hitler and Mussolini, kind of daring us to defy it. I’ve never experienced this in my entire life, especially in this country.”