Finally. A roster of Hollywood’s A-list Jews are taking a stand against antisemitism, specifically Kanye West’s latest barrage of attacks against Jews.
Over the last week, West posted a string of antisemitic tweets, then paid for a Super Bowl ad directing viewers to a website that sold just one product: a $20 T-shirt with a swastika on it.
On Tuesday, over a techno version of “Hava Nagila,” about two dozen celebrities – from Jerry Seinfeld and Woody Allen to Scarlett Johansson, Mark Zuckerberg, and Simon & Garfunkel (together!) – appear in a video, wearing plain white tees echoing West’s, featuring a raised middle finger with a Star of David inside it, and above the word “KANYE.”
Then the celebrities fade out, and text appears: “Enough is Enough. Join the Fight Against Antisemitism.” The celebrity video went viral, with proud Jews and Kanye detractors sharing it far and wide on Facebook, X/Twitter, and other social media platforms.
Generative AI video
The only problem? It wasn’t real. Instead, it was expertly created by an Israeli team of generative AI entrepreneurs, an emerging technology that instantly creates lifelike animation, opening new frontiers for creativity while also raising ethical questions about what can be rendered and how such products should be labeled.
“We expected the video to gain traction, but we didn’t anticipate just how massive it would become,” says Guy Bar, the founder of AI tech hub Elevaitor, who developed the video together with co-creator Ori Bejerano.
“We believe its impact comes from the fact that it touches a raw nerve for so many people worldwide – people who are tired of violence, exhausted by racism, and fed up with antisemitism.
“The video we created was simply the spark that ignited a fire that had been waiting to burn for a long time.”The vibe of the clip resembles the high-budget ads that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has financed for screening during recent Super Bowls.
Bar said that he and Bejerano deliberately chose a very understated video style to be “completely opposite to the aggressive and provocative way Kanye West expresses himself. However, the quietness of the video is exactly what makes it so powerful.”
“Even the music choice is deeply meaningful. It’s a well-known melody strongly associated with Jewish culture – originally a happy and optimistic song. We created a more modern, updated version of it.
“Choosing this song is a statement in itself: we are not afraid of people like Kanye West, and we will always remain joyful and optimistic,” Bar added.
Some of the celebrities in the clip, such as David Schwimmer, have been vocal in opposing antisemitism.
Others, including Adam Sandler, who ends the video by offering his own obscene gesture, have not been outspoken on the issue since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel unleashed a wave of antisemitism worldwide.
“All the public figures featured in the video are Jewish. But beyond that, they are part of Kanye West’s own social and cultural environment – part of his world.
“We wanted to use their voices, so to speak, to tell Kanye West: your antisemitism and incitement to violence have crossed every possible line. Enough is enough,” said Bar, adding that the video took 24 hours to create from start to finish.
By blending technology and storytelling, Elevaitor creates disruptive strategies and content that influence social issues and business impact on a global scale,” Bar said.
But the brave new world of AI raises questions about what is real and what isn’t and whether the subjects who are manipulated have a say at all.
The commonality between all the video’s participants is that, whether they agree with the message or not, none of them agreed to have their images used. Bar said that he has not been approached or warned by any of the celebrities’ representatives.
“This video exists in the realm of art, culture, and creativity – not commerce. There is no commercial element to it, no attempt to sell anything other than promoting an important social message,” he said.
Conveying a powerful message
“We believe that the individuals featured in the video will identify with it and with the powerful message it conveys.” However, Johansson issued a statement calling out “the misuse of AI.”
“I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by AI is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality,” she wrote, according to Variety.
There were signs that at least some of the celebrities featured in the video might be on board with it. Jessica Seinfeld, the cookbook author and wife of Jerry Seinfeld, who is shown pointing to his shirt and smiling, liked the video on Instagram.
Even when the video was outed as being AI and not genuine, people continued to share it on Wednesday. “AI or not, I feel a little better,” said Jerusalem-based media personality and author Sarah Tuttle Singer.
International human rights lawyer and pro-Israel advocate Arsen Ostorovsky wrote, “This is the ad they should’ve run during the Super Bowl, for the entire country (and the world) to see!
“It might be AI, but it’s still one of the most brilliant and powerful ads I’ve seen on combating antisemitism.”