JERUSALEM (JTA) — "Homeland" star Mandy Patinkin expressed solidarity with Israeli actors who refuse to perform in West Bank settlements.
Patinkin, who is in Israel to film the second season of the award-winning "Homeland," spent part of last week touring the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem with the organization Peace Now. He spoke at a Peace Now conference last Friday attended by about 700 participants.
“I call myself an American Disneyland Jew,” Patinkin, who is a member of the board of Americans for Peace Now, told the conference. “We can do whatever we want. We can say whatever we want. We are safe. We are never attacked. We live in freedom."
Patinkin visited the Ariel Cultural Center in the West Bank, which was at the center of boycotts by Israeli actors when it opened last fall. He signed a petition in support of the boycotting actors and directors.
He said he has been attacked by people in the United States for his pro-Palestinian views.
Patinkin also visited Hebron last week and was surprised by how much he believes it has changed since he first visited there 30 years ago, citing the streets closed to Palestinian vehicles and the shuttered storefronts.
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