The poisoned apple: A small bite becomes a bit of antisemitism

In the Big Apple, New York City, I chose to transform the poison apple by creating a Jewish symbolic scene featuring the ‘Kosher Barbie’ dress that I designed with a Star of David while holding a red apple to raise awareness and make an impact through art in the ongoing fight against antisemitism in the United States.

Just like the poisoned apple from the fairy tale, antisemitic slurs may seem harmless but can cause damage. In the story, Snow White’s innocence makes her vulnerable, mirroring the vulnerability of the Jewish community, which calls for our attention and action to ensure its safety.

American hostage Edan AlexanderAlexander was 19 when he was taken in southern Israel during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Recently, the lead actress, Rachel Zegler, poisoned herself in favor of one side in the Israel-Gaza conflict rather than focusing on her acting role. She failed to call for the return of hostages, including American citizens such as Edan Alexander, even though both Zegler and Alexander reside near each other in northern New Jersey.

Following her pro-Palestinian tweet during the film’s promotion, the film’s rating dropped dramatically. This prompted producer Mark Platt to leave his family and fly to New York to ask her to remove the tweet, citing its negative impact on the film’s promotion and ticket sales. Despite his request, she refused to comply. Many believe her stance has adversely affected Disney’s box office, potentially costing the film hundreds of millions of dollars.

Platt wrote, “This is called adult responsibility and accountability. Her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office.”

Jonah Platt added, “Yeah, my dad, the producer of a major piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20-year-old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity.”

The red apple serves as both a warning sign and a powerful symbol of the struggle against antisemitism. These issues often begin with small words that may seem like innocent behaviors—such as jokes or rude comments—but can escalate into serious acts of hatred and violence against Jews.