“Stranger Things” star Brett Gelman disappeared from two stops on his book tour.
Bookstores in California and Illinois canceled scheduled events featuring the 47-year-old comedian due to harassment and intimidation from anti-Semitic and anti-Israel protesters, he claims.
The Jewish actor will no longer have the opportunity to promote his debut novel at Book Passage in San Francisco and The Book Stall in Winnetka. Gellman was scheduled to appear at these venues as part of a four-city tour for his upcoming short story collection, “The Terrifying Realm of Possibilities: Almost True Stories.”
“The bookstore was canceled due to intimidation from protesters,” Gellman, who played Murray Bauman on the Netflix hit, told the Post. She said, “I didn’t know much about the details, but… [but] I definitely believe it’s because I’m a vocal supporter of Israel, and it’s because of the fact that I’m Jewish. I think this is completely anti-Semitic. ”
Gelman, who learned of the cancellation through his agent, said he now feels in danger, but he won’t let threats keep him quiet. Two other scheduled performances on the book tour, March 18 in New York and March 27 in West Hollywood, remained unchanged as of Friday.
“So I wouldn’t be surprised if we encountered the same type of threats, but I hope these two venues don’t feel the need to cancel their events,” Gelman said.
An employee at The Book Stall confirmed that Gelman’s appearance had been canceled, but declined to provide additional information. Messages seeking comment from San Francisco’s Book Passage were not returned Friday.
Gelman’s book, scheduled for release on March 19, will include short stories that focus on characters at “unique and strange stages in their lives” that deal with themes such as morality, fame, religion and death. ing. He said the 272-page book “has nothing to do with Israel” but emphasizes his Jewish identity.
The actor-turned-author has been outspoken about his support for Israel both online and offline.
germane He calls himself a “Zionist pig.”” on social media, and in December visited the victim at a hospital in Ra’anana, Israel.
That same month, he appeared on the Israeli sketch show Eretz Nehederet. He played a UC Berkeley professor in the film, which targets anti-Israel protesters at American universities.
In January, he confronted some of his 200,000 followers. on X“If you don’t take responsibility, at least in part, for the deaths of Hamas people, then you don’t care about the Palestinians. You just hate Jews. At the same time as you call for a ceasefire, you must also call for the release of the hostages. I just hate Jews. And if you hate Jews, unfollow me.”
German recently signed a letter with 200 fellow celebrities, including David Schwimmer, Michael Rapaport and Debra Messing, calling on the film academy to stop perpetuating anti-Semitism.
The cancellation of the March 20 Winnetka appearance ruins a homecoming of sorts for the Illinois native, who is currently looking for other venues in San Francisco as well as Chicago.
“If we have to be safe, we will be safe,” he said. “I believe in the unity of the Jewish people and I believe they have my back. That has been kind of a ray of hope in all of this. Anti-Semitism has become normalized and Islamic fundamentalism and It really rallied the Jewish community to stand up and come together in the face of this crazy moment where support for Islamic Jihad is also normalized.”
And while the cancellation is “heartbreaking,” Gellman doesn’t plan on letting it ruin his launch.
“I’m proud of my book and really looking forward to everyone reading it,” he said. “I don’t want these people to taint my experience, but people need to know that things like this happen to Jews all the time.”
