" ZOA mourns Elizabeth Taylor, ardent Zionist
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) mourns the passing of legendary
American actress and ardent Zionist, Elizabeth Taylor, who
has passed away, aged 79. Ms. Taylor, who enjoyed a long and hugely
successful career in Hollywood, was converted to Judaism in 1959 by
the Rabbi Max Nussbaum, who served as National President of the ZOA from
1964 to 1966.
Among Elizabeth Taylor’s outstanding work on behalf of Israel and Jewish
causes was her participating in raising $840,000 for Israel in
a 1967 London gala and purchasing personally $100,000 in Israel Bonds in
1959. The same year, she cancelled a visit to Moscow after the
Soviet Union lashed out at Israel after the June 1967 Six Day War. In 1975,
she was one of 60 prominent women to sign a statement to
then-U..N. Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, condemning the U.N. General
Assembly’s infamous Zionism-is-Racism resolution. Taylor
offered herself as a hostage when 104 hostages aboard an Air France airbus
were hijacked by PLO terrorists and held at Uganda’s Entebbe
Airport, from which they rescued in a spectacular Israeli commando mission
on July 4, 1976, America’s 200th birthday. Taylor frequently
visited Israel and met with its leadership, including Prime Minister
Menachem Begin in 1983. In 1987, she signed a petition seeking the
release from Soviet incarceration of leading refusenik, Ida Nudel.
Elizabeth Taylor’s pro-Israel activism led to the banning of her films in
several Arab countries. After purchasing $100,000 in Israel Bonds
in 1959, the United Arab Republic (now Egypt) banned all her movies. Gen.
Essam Elmasri, head of the Cairo regional bureau of the Israel
Boycott Office, said that Miss Taylor would not be allowed to come to Egypt
because she has adopted the Jewish faith and “supports Israeli
causes.” Her movie, Cleopatra, was not permitted to be filmed in Egypt, but
in 1964, Egypt dropped her from its blacklist when it decided that
Cleopatra, which mentions Egypt 122 times, would be provide good publicity
for Egypt (Ami Eden, ‘In the JTA Archive: Liz Taylor says
trade me for Entebbe hostages,’ Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 23, 2011).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “Elizabeth Taylor was not only
a wonderful actress but a wonderful Zionist. In the days of
vicious Arab boycotts stronger than those today, she could have taken a
self-interested line, as have many Jewish actors today, and failed
to speak up or support Israel or, worse, engaged in anti-Israel slanders and
other activities that harm Israel and aid its enemies,
but she didn’t. The ZOA is proud of its connection to Elizabeth Taylor and
expresses heartfelt condolences to her family and friends at her
passing. Her rabbi was Rabbi Max Nussbaum, of Temple Israel, Hollywood, who
was also a past National President of ZOA. Members of
Temple Israel included Al Jolson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Eddie Fisher, Eddie
Cantor, George Jessel and Leonard Nimoy, among numerous other
Hollywood celebrities. "