Acclaimed director Steven Spielberg said he was concerned about the return of antisemitism at universities and warned against forgetting history during a speech on the University of Southern California's campus.
"We see every day how the machinery of extremism is being used on college campuses," Spielberg said Monday, adding that "fully 50 percent of students say they have experienced some discrimination because they are Jewish."
"This is happening alongside anti-Muslim, Arab, and Sikh discrimination," he said.
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"The creation of ‘the Other’ and the dehumanization of any group based on their differences, is the foundation of fascism," Spielberg told his audience at an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Shoa Foundation, which the filmmaker founded in 1994. "It’s an old playbook dusted off and being widely distributed today!"
Spielberg told stories from his childhood, remembering back to meeting Holocaust survivors and learning about hatred against the Jewish people from his family, as well as experiencing discrimination as a young student.
"I am increasingly alarmed that we may be condemned to repeat history – to once again have to fight for the very right to be Jewish," Spielberg said. "In the face of brutality and persecution, we have always been resilient and compassionate people who understand the power of empathy. We can rage against the heinous acts committed by the terrorists of October 7th and also decry the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza."
After the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, Spielberg decried the murders as "unspeakable barbarity" and called for "a world without antisemitism or hate of any kind."
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"Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it," Spielberg said Monday. "I am increasingly alarmed that we may be condemned to repeat history – to once again have to fight for the very right to be Jewish."
He added that it was "crucial" for his organization, the Shoah Foundation, to oppose "political violence caused by misinformation, conspiracy theories and ignorance."
"It is crucial because stopping the rise of antisemitism and hate of any kind is critical to the health of our democratic republic and the future of democracy all over the civilized world," he said.
