The tumult at the non-profit over Israel and Palestine mirrors the debates flaring up across the entertainment industry.
’s president has resigned after the free speech group released a report detailing how Israeli and Jewish writers have faced “rising isolation and exclusion” in the aftermath of 2023’s Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. that Pen America’s report, which examines the impacts of cultural boycotts, unfairly maligns the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, an attempt to economically isolate Israel.
,” was the work of three authors. They include PEN America’s editorial director Lisa Tobin, a veteran of NBC News and the Associated Press, as well as its chief communications officer Geraldine Baum, a longtime former staff writer for“In this piece, we share the stories of Jewish and Israeli writers who feel that the mainstream literary world is increasingly shutting them out because of their identity, nationality, or views,” the authors wrote, explaining the report was based on interviews with more than 30 Israeli and Jewish writers and literary professionals.
“They describe an environment that has impacted their reputations and livelihoods, led people to self-censor, and created an overall chilling of their ability to write and create freely. This silencing and exclusion of writers is a threat to what PEN America is fundamentally committed to defending: a culture of free expression for all.
”which took film studios and major directors to task for relinquishing creative control of projects — including decisions involving cast, dialogue, plot and settings — in “an effort to avoid antagonizing Chinese officials. ”in 2024 amid criticism inside and outside the group over its alleged failure to speak out about threats against Palestinian writers amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which the organization’s anti-Zionist criticsthat 2024 was “a year PEN America will always remember as super chill and laid back.
” Writers Against the War on Gaza — whose past petition signatories have included the likes of George R.R. Martin, Gael Garcia Bernal and Susan Sarandon — saluted Mengestu’s “principled decision” in a social media statement. Other writers rejected his stand.
“Imagine running a free expression org and resigning because it refuses to blacklist authors based on their nationality,” wrote author David Zweig in his own post. “Why not blacklist authors from his birthplace, Ethiopia? Ethiopia doesn’t exactly have a good human rights record. What about Russian, Chinese, or Syrian writers?
Nope. According to Dinaw Mengestu everyone is fine unless they happen to be from Israel. ” Meanwhile, earlier this month, the country’s right-wing culture ministerThe Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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