FACT CHECK: No, Jonathan Glazer Did Not ‘Refute His Jewishness’ At The Oscars

Anna Mock | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on X by former “The View” co-host Meghan McCain claims a man at the Oscars took the stage to “refute his Jewishness.” 

Verdict: False

The quote has been taken out of context. The full quote elaborates that him and those standing on stage with him “refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”

Fact Check:

The Anti-Defamation League and an organization representing Holocaust survivors are among those angry at filmmaker Jonathan Glazer after he made a comparison between his film and the current Israel-Palestine war during his acceptance speech at the Oscars, The Times of Israel reported. Glazer is the director of “The Zone of Interest,” a film about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, according to The Hollywood Reporter

A March 11 post from McCain criticizes comments made by a man on stage at the Oscars on March 10, clearly referring to Glazer. The tweet was viewed more than 1 million times.

“Lotta people in Hollywood showing their ass when a man gets on stage to ‘refute his Jewishness’ and half the room claps,” the post reads.

Ben Freeman of the Times of Israel also made a post claiming that Glazer refuted his Jewishness. “Glazer is a victim of Jew-hate, but he is responsible for the anti-Jewish bile he spreads,” it reads in part.

This claim leaves out the rest of Glazer’s quote, which changes the meaning significantly. The video of his acceptance speech can be seen on YouTube. (RELATED: Is Keanu Reeves Replacing Whoopi Goldberg As Host Of Academy Awards?)

In full, he says, “Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel, or the ongoing attack on Gaza—all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?” Glazer did not refute his Jewishness, but instead refuted the fact that his Jewishness and the Holocaust have been “hijacked” by “an occupation,” referring to the ongoing Israel-Palestine war. 

Former MSNBC journalist Mehdi Hasan made a post in response to McCain, saying in part, “That’s not what he did. This is a lie. It’s a complete cut off/distortion of his full quote.” McCain doubled down as she posted, “No Peace, bitch.”

Check Your Fact reached out to a spokesperson for the Oscars and “The Zone of Interest” distributor A24 and will update this piece accordingly if one is received. 

Anna Mock

Fact Check Reporter

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