Israeli actress calls out Hollywood stars 'silencing artists' who support Jewish state

Israeli actress Noa Cohen pushed back against celebrities "silencing artists" supporting the Jewish state , according to comments reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday.

Cohen spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about her latest film "Our Loves," a drama set during the deadly Oct.

7 terror attacks in 2023.

The film, one of the first to dramatize the events, drew criticism for being told largely through Israeli citizens' perspectives as Hollywood stars continue to speak out against Israel.

The 24-year-old actress, who knew many victims of the Hamas attacks, expressed dismay at celebrities' actions, particularly their calls to boycott Israeli film institutions .

COMEDIAN DECLARES JERRY SEINFELD 'UNCANCELLABLE' DESPITE 'WOKE' ANTI-ISRAEL FESTIVAL BOYCOTT "Silencing artists because of government policies closes conversation.

And don’t we need to keep that open?" Cohen said.

In 2025, over 1,000 Hollywood stars, directors and other film workers, including Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, signed a pledge to boycott institutions such as festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies that "are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people." Cohen denied films like "Our Loves" erased the Palestinian people and encouraged a more open mind.

HOLLYWOOD STARS LIKE MAYIM BIALIK, DEBRA MESSING AMONG 1,200 BLASTING ISRAELI FILM BOYCOTT AS 'ERASURE OF ART' "I mean, you don’t have to agree with a government to hear the stories of its people," Cohen said.

In the meantime, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she and several others are still grieving the losses of that day.

"You couldn’t really grieve until all the hostages were home," Cohen said.

"So really we’re not even at the end of the first year of grieving.

And there will be many more years." 'NOBODY WANTS THIS': CONSULTING RABBI CALLS OUT STAR'S 'IGNORANT' TAKE ON 'GENOCIDE' IN GAZA Cohen is perhaps best known for her portrayal as the Virgin Mary in Netflix's "Mary" film which premiered in 2024.

At the time, Cohen's casting caused an uproar among anti-Israel critics for casting an Israeli woman in the role, insisting that the real Mary was "Palestinian." The film's director, D.J.