Israeli actress and former “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot nearly broke into tears while praising Skydance’s new co-CEO, Ynon Kreiz, for “sticking up against antisemitism” during the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Humanitarian Award Dinner Wednesday.
Gadot joined movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and Skydance chairman and CEO David Ellison in presenting Kreiz with the 2026 Humanitarian Award. While presenting the award, she expressed horror at the rise of bigotry against Jewish people since 2023.
“I’m frightened by how quickly hatred of Jews is spreading and how openly it is expressed and accepted,” Gadot said, according to Variety.
“Since the Oct. 7 massacre and the war that followed, I have found myself asking how far this can go. If people get used to hearing and seeing hatred and looking the other way, then where does it end?”
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Gadot, who is Jewish, has long defended Israel after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and praised Kreiz for his leadership amid the rise of antisemitism.
“What gives me hope is that people like Ynon aren’t wavering,” she continued. “He’s doing what he’s always done. He’s standing firm. He feels what our community is going through.
“He’s sticking up against antisemitism. He’s bringing his intense conviction and heart to this fight. He’s leading. That leadership is like a beacon of light and, in a dark hour, nothing matters more than a ray of light to give all of us courage.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Skydance for comment.
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After accepting the award, Kreiz, who is an Israeli, British and American citizen, thanked Ellison and Skydance for taking a “bold stand for Israel and the Jewish people” against what he called an “ancient hatred.”
“We recognize that business leadership comes with moral responsibility,” Kreiz said, according to Deadline.
Kreiz’s award came just over one month after Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Before the merger closed, Ellison announced that Kreiz, who previously served as chairman and CEO of Mattel, would serve as co-CEO alongside him.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Israeli-American Council (IAC) congratulated Kreiz on the award and emphasized the need to speak up against antisemitism.
“Gal Gadot is right to speak about the concerns around the spread of hatred of Jews,” the IAC statement read.
“No Jewish actor, writer, employee or student should have to wonder whether speaking about antisemitism or expressing support for Israel would cost them work, friendships or acceptance.
“Opposing hatred of Jews should not require an act of professional courage. And when it does, something is deeply wrong.”