Actor David Schwimmer, known for his role as Ross Geller on the hit 90’s sitcom ‘Friends,’ slammed organizations and individuals who “refuse to believe” the testimonies of the Jewish survivors of Hamas’s assault on southern Israel on October 7.
Schwimmer’s statements came on his Friday post to his 8.3 million followers on the social media platform, Instagram. His message castigating those who, despite the abundant evidence, continue to doubt the testimonies of Israeli survivors, captioned a screenshot of the recent New York Times article documenting cases of sexual assault and rape experienced by Israeli women during Hamas’s attacks.
“I served on the Board of Directors for The Rape Foundation for almost 20 years, and have been an advocate for child and adult survivors of sexual violence for almost 30,” Schwimmer wrote. He goes on to share how, during his time doing this work, he has encountered “the most incredible and courageous people” who survived “the most horrific conditions imaginable” and have been able to go on to lead normal lives after receiving proper treatment and care.
He continued to highlight that, regardless of an individual’s identity, such as their age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, education, or economic status, “One crucial aspect I learned early on about the healing process, and for justice to be served by the criminal offenders, is that the survivor be BELIEVED,” Schwimmer added.
However, he noted, despite his experiences with organizations that work for the benefit of survivors of rape and sexual assault, many yet “refuse to believe” that people in Israel were assaulted by Hamas terrorists.
Schwimmer: “Where is their outrage?”
“Where is their outrage?” Schwimmer wrote. “In the weeks and months that followed, it became clear that their activism, their advocacy, is conditional. They’ll fight like hell for ALL victims of sexual violence — unless they’re Jews.”
He goes on to suggest that denial of Hamas’s crimes against Israelis is a method of “avoiding compassion and personal responsibility,” but stated that he hopes the New York Times article will bring such people to admit their error and confront unconscious biases.
“Because — as they know better than most — their refusal to believe the survivors have RE-TRAUMATIZED them, as well as their families, friends, and those of us who did believe them,” Schwimmer emphasized. “But they can use their voice now. And it would be great to know who the real allies are.”
“Their refusal to believe the survivors have RE-TRAUMATIZED them, as well as their families, friends, and those of us who did believe them.”
David Schwimmer
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