On Monday, June 10, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures promised to "immediately" change an exhibit about the Jewish founders of Hollywood after a recent letter from 300 well-known Hollywood Jews accused it of being antisemitic.
'Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital' launched two and a half years after the museum opened without the history of the industry's Jewish origins.
A new exhibition named 'Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital' tells the stories of the Jewish studio owners and filmmakers who contributed to the Los Angeles region's reputation as the world capital of entertainment.
"We want people to come away with a richer understanding of how this city is so intertwined with this industry and also a deeper understanding of why this is specifically a Jewish immigrant story," Dara Jaffe, associate curator at the Academy Museum, said.
The museum announced the changes shortly before receiving an open letter from 'United Jewish Writers,' signed by over 300 Hollywood professionals.
The signatories included the actor David Schwimmer, TV writer Amy Sherman-Palladino, and industry executive Casey Wasserman.
Furthermore, the museum noted they will implement the first set of changes immediately. It said the changes will allow them to tell these important stories without phrasing, which may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes.
The Eastern European Jewish immigrants who laid the groundwork for Hollywood and their first-generation American Jewish children were not featured in the museum's ambitious exhibitions highlighting and honoring the work of groups often marginalized in Hollywood.
Jaffe added that they feel it is foundational to who they are as a film museum, representing the industry and central to who they are as a film museum in LA.
