Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg expressed his shock at the rise of anti-Semitism in a lengthy interview with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert that aired Thursday.
“I find it very, very surprising,” Spielberg, who is Jewish, told Colbert during a discussion about his new semi-autobiographical film “The Fabelmans.” In the film, nominated for Best Picture at the 2023 Academy Awards, main character Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) faces anti-Semitic abuse at school.
“Anti-Semitism was always there, or it was just around the corner and a little hidden but always lurking, or it was much more obvious like in Germany in the 1930s,” said Spielberg, who directed the Holocaust film “Schindler’s List.” Colbert said.
“But not since the 1930s in Germany have we witnessed anti-Semitism no longer lurking, but standing proudly with its hands on its hips like Hitler and Mussolini, somehow daring to challenge it,” he continued. “I have never experienced anything like this in my entire life, especially in this country.”
Colbert said it was “disturbing” and “heartbreaking.”
“In a way, the marginalization of people who aren’t part of some kind of majority race is something that’s been creeping up on us for years and years and years,” Spielberg said.
“Hate became a kind of membership in a club that welcomed more members than we ever thought possible in America. And hatred and anti-Semitism go hand in hand: one cannot be separated from the other,” he added.
However, the famous director said that he has no hope.
“To quote Anne Frank, I think she’s right that there is good in most people,” she told Colbert. “And I think kindness and empathy are at our core.”
And the trailer for “The Fabelmans” here:
