Academy Museum Revises Jewish History Exhibit Following Backlash

Following backlash from a group of Jewish activists, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles announced Monday that it would revise its new exhibit on Hollywood's Jewish roots.

The museum noted in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter On Monday, he said he had “heard the concerns of members of the Jewish community” and was “committed to making changes to the exhibit to address them.”

“We will implement the first set of changes immediately – they will allow us to tell these important stories without using language that may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes,” the museum said, also noting that it was “assembling an expert advisory group leading museums focused on the Jewish community, civil rights and the history of other marginalized groups to advise us on complex questions regarding context and any necessary additions to the exhibition narrative.

A few days earlier, the institution had also indicated that it was listening to activists' concerns.

The exhibition, titled Hollywoodland: Jewish founders and the creation of a cinematic capitalofficially opened on May 19 and was quickly criticized by many Jewish activists for its sometimes negative portrayal of the studio's Jewish founders, which some called anti-Semitic.

An open letter from a group called United Jewish Writers obtained by THR wrote Monday that “while we recognize the importance of confronting Hollywood's problematic past, the Jewish Founders Exposure's despicable double standard, blaming only Jews for this problematic past, is unacceptable and, be it intentional or not, anti-Semitic. We call on the Academy Museum to completely remake this exhibition so that it celebrates Hollywood's Jewish founders with the same respect and enthusiasm accorded those celebrated throughout the rest of the museum.

Specifically, the letter's authors objected to the presence of the words “tyrant,” “oppressive,” “womanizer,” and “predator” in the exhibit's wall text. They also wrote that Hollywoodland was “the only section of the museum that vilifies those it claims to celebrate.”

But others noted that these descriptors were accurate when applied to the specific leaders highlighted in the exhibit. “This was always going to be the problem that put Louis B. Mayer and Harry Cohn and co. at the museum – their legacies are extremely mixed”, The New Yorker editor Michael Schulman written the. “Including them is good; Whitewashing them is not.

The exhibit was heavily based on Neal Gabler's 1989 book. An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywoodwidely considered a definitive historical account of the founding of the industry.

The museum announced the changes before the letter was released, but later reports indicated it was signed by more than 300 people.

Hollywoodland: Jewish founders and the creation of a cinematic capital was initially announced in response to criticism following the museum's 2022 opening regarding the institution's lack of acknowledgment of Hollywood's Jewish past.

“If you're considering having an Academy-related museum in Los Angeles that celebrates arguably the most important art form of the 20th century, how is it possible to not recognize the Jewish men who started it all? said producer John Goldwyn at the time, grandson of Sam Goldwyn, whose executive efforts led to the formation of Paramount and MGM a century ago. “This is a glaring oversight.”

The new exhibit aims to highlight the role played by Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer and other Jewish immigrants in the founding of the American film industry.

Exhibition curator Dara Jaffe said THR in May that “this story was one we had always planned to tell”, but acknowledged that “we were certainly very aware” of the criticism over the exhibition's delay.