A special thank you from Scarlett Johansson to YOU

We at Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) believe in the power of art and music to build bridges for peace. We believe that nothing can make peace in the Middle East more elusive than singling out Israel for boycotts.

As many of you know, American actress Scarlett Johansson was recently singled out by anti-Israel boycott activists for her support of the Israeli company SodaStream.

CCFP had been in touch with Scarlett’s representatives since the controversy began. We knew how many of you out there wanted to congratulate and thank her directly for her courageous and principled stand and we facilitated an opportunity to do so by receiving the permission of her publicist to provide you with his email and posting it on our Facebook page.

American Actress Scarlett Johansson with carbonation machine from Israel’s SodaStream. Photo: SodaStream

Thousands and thousands of you rose to the occasion and CCFP cannot express our thanks deeply enough. And we’re not the only ones. We have been given a note from Mr. Marcel Pariseau, Scarlett Johansson’s publicist, thanking her fans for their support. This note of appreciation is from Scarlett to all of you:

Scarlett would like to extend her most sincere thanks to the many thousands of people who have supported her these past weeks. Your emails, comments, and tweets have been truly overwhelming and inspiring. It has been wonderful to receive messages from people all over the world who firmly believe that peace is possible.

And a big thank you to Creative Community For Peace for building a bridge between Scarlett and her fans.

Marcel Pariseau

TRUE PUBLIC RELATIONS

An artist raising her voice for peace is a powerful thing indeed. And that’s exactly what Scarlett did.

She accepted the position as spokeswoman for SodaStream not only because the company’s home-carbonation device is healthier and better for the environment than bottled soda, but also because the company is a model of peaceful coexistence — employing Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinian Arabs.

In addition to coming under fire from activists, she also came under fire from Oxfam International, an organization working to fight poverty around the world, for whom she had been a global ambassador for eight years.

Oxfam does some amazing work and Scarlett is rightfully proud of all she has done to contribute to the eradication of world hunger. However, some Oxfam affiliates around the world also channel part of their resources into organizations which single out Israel for boycotts.

Scarlett’s principled decision to stand by SodaStream and part ways with Oxfam has been a victory for Israelis, Palestinians, and peace-loving people all over the world.

But it’s just one victory. There is much left to be done and CCFP can use your help.

Sign our Anti-Boycott Petition!

Tell the many hundreds of international artists who perform in and visit Israel every year that you support their decision and that we must not allow Israel’s detractors to politicize art.

Like us on Facebook!

We will keep you up-to-date on artists performing in Israel, cooperation between Israeli and international artists, boycott activists’ attempts to intimidate artists into canceling, and much more.