Downton Abbey star accused of ‘Jew-baiting’ after vile tweet to Tracy-Ann Oberman
'What is your response to Israel's actions today!' Samantha Bond asks British Jewish actress following tragic killing of seven aid workers in Gaza
Jewish actress Tracy-Ann Oberman has reacted furiously to a now deleted social media post by Downton Abbey star Samantha Bond questioning her response to the tragic deaths of aid workers in Gaza.
An IDF chief has said the Israeli airstrike on Monday that killed seven people, including three Britons, in an aid convoy for World Central Kitchen was the result of ‘misidentification’.
Actress Samantha Bond, known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in four James Bond films, asked Oberman “Dear @TracyAnnO What is your response to Israel’s actions today! A mistake? 7 people dead! Trying to feed the starving? X’
The message was apparently posted in response to Oberman’s pinned tweet from January promoting the critically acclaimed show, ‘Merchant of Venice’ in which she played a female Shylock living in the East End of 1936.
Oberman, who faced death threats following her portrayal in Shakespeare’s anti-semitic play, responded: “As I am not a spokesperson for the Israeli government why on earth would you send me this tweet? Is it a political purity test? Do you want me to fail it? As a Jew do you hold me and my ‘kind’ collectively responsible? This is a deeply offensive tweet. I’d say this was Jew-baiting chaps”.
Oberman, who has reported Bond’s post to CST, has received staunch support online, with one message saying: “A play – not about Israel, not taking place in Israel, not raising funds for Israel, starring an actress who is not Israeli. Once again the antisemites prove that it’s nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with hating Jews #Antisemitism #jewHate”.
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