The Academy Museum has pledged to make “immediate” changes to its Hollywoodland exhibition about Jewish film industry pioneers after an open letter took the institution to task for “double standards”.
“We have heard the concerns from members of the Jewish community regarding some components of our exhibition Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital,” the Museum said in a statement on Monday.
The Museum said it took the concerns seriously, adding that the changes “will allow us to tell these important stories without using phrasing that may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes. This will also help to eliminate any ambiguities”.
The letter, which according to The New York Times was signed by more than 300 Hollywood professionals under the banner United Jewish Writers, said the exhibition, recounting the foundational contribution to the Los Angeles film industry by Jewish pioneers like Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer, used words on walls like “tyrant”, “oppressive”, “womanizer”, and “predator”.
“[I]t is the only section of the museum,” the letter noted, “that vilifies those it purports to celebrate. While we acknowledge the value in confronting Hollywood’s problematic past, the despicable double standard of the Jewish Founders exhibit, blaming only the Jews for that problematic past, is unacceptable and, whether intentional or not, antisemitic.”
Signatories included David Schwimmer and entertainment executive Casey Wasserman. The Museum said it was also convening an advisory group comprised of experts from museums about the Jewish community, civil rights, and the history of other marginalised groups.
The furore follows an initial backlash after the Jewish community’s contribution to Hollywood was overlooked when the Museum opened in 2021. The Museum believed it had addressed that issue when it opened the permanent Hollywoodland exhibition last month.
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