David Schwimmer rose to fame as Ross Geller, the only Jewish character in the hit show “Friends” to be played by an actual Jew, and some would also argue, its most openly and proudly Jewish one (he did give us that “Holiday Armadillo” episode that is so relatable to parents dealing with Christmas envy).
This week, at the ADL’s Never Is Now conference, where Gal Gadot also spoke, Schwimmer, 58, who most recently starred in a new series based on the popular “Goosebumps” books (written by fellow Jew R. L. Stine!), spoke about how he wished that his fellow Jewish actors with big platforms spoke up more for the Jewish community, like he has on multiple occasions. He most recently demanded that Ye be banned from X for his antisemitic tirades, writing that, “His sick hate speech results in real life violence against Jews.”
“My career has given me an incredible platform and chance to talk about the issues that matter to me, and on a good day, a chance to be heard over the noise that drowns too many people out,” he told the crowd at the conference in New York. “And I believe with that privilege comes a responsibility to use my voice in moments like this, at a time of danger, bigotry and violence.”
He acknowledged that speaking out can come at a cost, a cost that he’s felt personally. “I’ve been attacked and threatened by people I’ve never met. I’ve been abandoned by people I thought were friends and by organizations I thought were allies,” he revealed, but added that he “also found amazing moments of meaning and solidarity.”
He also took a moment to praise his fellow Jews. “Our spirit is unbreakable, our joy is irrepressible, our story is impossible. We are kind, resilient, innovative, generous and strong. And as you can tell from this speech, really funny,” he joked.
“Plenty of people I respect, even some of my heroes in entertainment, music and sports, have chosen to keep a low profile and sit this one out,” he lamented, “including some whose careers have been made by leaning into their Jewish identity, and others who have won a claim for playing Jews on screen.”
While Schwimmer acknowledged that some are doing things behind the scenes, privately advocating in their own way, he went on to share a message with the celebrities who have chosen not to say anything publicly at all. His message? “I really wish you would.”
“I wish you would stand up. I wish you would speak out, because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, to folks who could use just a little solidarity right now from people they respect and look up to,” he continued. They don’t have to go into politics, he urged, rightly asserting that “no one’s asking you to solve the conflict in the Middle East.”
“Just say that you stand with your Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbors against hatred and discrimination,” he suggested, asking them to denounce what is happening on college campuses and in schools and to Jewish-owned businesses, or to simply just say anything in solidarity with the Jewish community.
“Post your bar mitzvah picture,” he joked. “We’ll start a trend of embarrassing haircuts and dental work.” He then shared this incredible picture of his bar mitzvah:
The celebrated actor and director feels this time of rising antisemitism and “the normalization of hate speech and physical attacks against Jews” should motivate those in positions of “real or perceived leadership” to “risk a little personal comfort for the sake of the greater community.”
Before introducing fellow influencers from across the country and the world who stood up against hate in the previous year, Schwimmer invoked the famous Elie Wiesel saying: “The opposite of love is not hate. It’s indifference.”
“What is indifference? It’s inaction. It’s silence,” he mused.
“Sometimes in moments of danger, it can feel like our only option is to stay quiet, to avoid drawing attention to ourselves, to hide,” he went on to say. “But here’s the truth: Now is not the time to disappear. Now is the time to show up, to reach out, to connect with one another, to find strength in our community and to raise up our voices together. When we do that, we change minds, we challenge assumptions and we remind other Jewish people across the country and around the globe that we are not alone.”
Throughout the years, Schwimmer, who has a daughter, Cleo, with Jewish British artist Zoe Buckman (the two separated in 2011), has been outspoken about his Jewish identity and against antisemitism. He was featured in the 2022 documentary “Jews Don’t Count.” After October 7, he wrote on his Instagram: “Saturday was the largest mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. The rape, torture, kidnapping and killing of so many Israeli civilians- including children, the elderly and infants – is an atrocity. Any attempt to rationalize or justify this genocide, let alone celebrate it, is indefensible and anti-Semitic.” He has signed petitions calling for the return of the Israeli hostages.
Schwimmer was born in Queens, the son of two Jewish attorneys — Arthur, an appellate lawyer, and Arlene, a divorce attorney. He had his first acting experience playing a fairy godmother in a Jewish version of “Cinderella” (forget about bar mitzvah pictures, we want the photographic evidence of that magical moment!). His family moved to Beverly Hills when he was a teen for his mother’s job — she handled the divorces of stars like Roseanne Barr and Elizabeth Taylor. He later attended and graduated from Northwestern University and founded Chicago’s Lookingglass Theater Company. His first TV roles were in the shows “The Wonder Years” and ” L.A. Law,” and his first series regular role was playing Henry Winkler’s liberal son in the short-lived “Monty,” which was cancelled the same year “Friends” started airing, in 1994. That latter series made for his most iconic TV role as the Jewish paleontologist Ross Geller (though your kids may know and love him best as Melman the Giraffe from the “Madagascar” film franchise).
He has played many other Jewish roles, from a Jewish Ghetto Warsaw rebel in the TV film “Uprising” to Jewish soldier Herbert Sobel in “Band of Brothers,” to, well, himself in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” It’s clear that he’s someone who practices what he preaches — happy to play authentic Jewish parts, but also to lean in and share his Jewish identity with the world, even when it’s hard. Still, some David Schwimmer Jewish fairy godmother pictures sure would make it a tad bit easier.
