The Difference Betw. Sarah Silverman In 2011 And Michael Douglas In 2015

Looking at the title, you probably ask, “What’s the difference? You probably mean, ‘What’s the connection between Sarah Silverman in 2011, and Michael Douglas in 2015!’” Well, I am not talking about the connection between them personally, but about the difference in the public’s reaction to two similar statements that they both made, four years apart. In 2011, comedian Sarah Silverman replied to Piers Morgan in a CNN interview, “If there’s one thing we should realize is [that] in general, the world hates Jews, you know? But it’s nice to be an underdog.” Nothing much happened after she said it. The YouTube video still has fewer than 13,000 views. Four years later, actor Michael Douglas reported an anti-Semitic incident his son had had in Europe, and the story went viral.

It’s not only that in 2011, Sarah Silverman was not as famous as she is today. Morgan even asks about her popularity in that interview. The difference in the media response, in my view, has to do more with the exponential, worldwide growth of anti-Semitism during those four years than with the level of popularity of the two celebrities.

In general, I agree with Ms. Silverman. I also sympathize with Mr. Douglas, having experienced anti-Semitism first hand in my youth, as well. And it can be nice to be the underdog, as Ms. Silverman remarked, but I do not think that the world regards Jews as underdogs. People do not hate underdogs; they hate the bad guys, and that’s what we’re considered by the majority of the world.

Had the US not defended Israel in the UN numerous times over the years, the truth of the world’s view of Israel in particular, and Jews in general, would have been exposed years ago. Only now, with America’s waning support, are we beginning to feel the heat, with such absurdities as the UN’s Commission on Status of Women resolution that Israel is the worst violator of women’s rights in the world!

It’s understandable, but at the same time regrettable that some Jews and some of the Jewish press are still in denial about the rising anti-Semitism in the US, as well. Editorials such as “The Anti-Semitism Surge That Isn’t” are not helping us face the facts and start thinking about how to cope with anti-Semitism instead of burying our heads in the sand pretending it does not exist.

If we are waiting for governments to act against anti-Semitism, whether in Europe or in the US, we are bound to be very disappointed. And not only that, but we will pay a heavy price.

If there is one good thing about anti-Semitism, though, it is that it makes us put our heads together and think. Because when we put our heads together (emphasis on the word, “together”), good things happen. Over the years, men non-Jews have been intrigued by Jewish togetherness, by the solidarity among the members of our nation. The world rightly senses that there is something special about it, but we aren’t sharing it. And the fact that we are unaware of its uniqueness makes no difference, because as their sensation is irrational, so is their hatred. But when we are not aware of our power, we cannot tap into it. If we did, we could use it to our benefit, and to the benefit of the world, and there is no doubt we would.

The source of our power is not our brains. There are many great Jewish minds, but our genius and numerous achievements in science, technology, medicine, culture, and economics have not quelled the world’s anger. Humanity is in no haste to thank us.

There is just one thing that we must give to the world, but aren’t, and this is why there is anti-Semitism. The Jewish nation was established many centuries ago on the basis of a unique covenant: to be “as one man with one heart,” united under the tenet, “love your neighbor as yourself.” It is a special kind of unity, one that embraces each person as he or she is, without trying to change or oppress anyone, but rather encourages each member of society to contribute his or her unique skills for the common good. By doing so, society creates a network of ties that transcends our inherent self-interest, and allows us to build a sustainable society where we flourish individually, and in so doing contribute to the power of society.

Today, such a society seems almost unrealistic. But once we came out of Egypt and congregated around Mount Sinai, a wondrous thing happened. We stood around a mountain of sinaah(hatred), hence the name, Sinai, and united above it. In this way, we conquered our hatred not by suppressing it, but by finding a point of unity above it!

And when we achieved that unity, we were given a task to be a light for the nations. We often wonder what that task means, and if there is any relevance to it these days. But if we think about that unity, and contemplate the fractured fabric of human society, we will realize that the world needs precisely this type of unity.

Approximately two millennia ago, Rabbi Akiva tried to teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves. And as we failed, we also lost the land and were exiled. When we install unfounded hatred in our hearts instead of the brotherly love we’d had before, we are accused of being warmongers and spreading strife and ill will.

Jews and non-Jews alike know we have been given the task to be a light for the nations. But when we are not united, we give the opposite example, and we are blamed for all the troubles. The world is closely watching our every move. Almost every UN resolution concerning human rights concerns Israel’s violations of them. Have we ever wondered why? The accusations may be factually untrue, but this has never stopped the world from blaming us. Instead of feeling victimized, I think it has to make us wonder what it is they want from us.

And from all my studies, I have learned that what they want is that we reestablish that unique unity we’d had back then, and share it with them. As I have written in The New York Times, we owe it to the world.

The current rift between Israel and American Jews sets a terrible example to the world. Most people do not distinguish between Israel and the diaspora Jews, and for governments, it is just a diplomatic pretext for venting the same old anti-Semitism.

We cannot afford to waste time. The global crisis is deepening, and the worse it gets, the more violent and virulent anti-Semitism will become. We have to start working on our unity, with the aim of eventually being “as one man with one heart.” This will make us the example that the world awaits from us. It is the only thing that we can give to the world, and which world needs and welcomes.

Diana Douglas Webster, mother of Michael Douglas, dies at 92

Actress Diana Douglas Webster, the first wife of Kirk Douglas and mother of Michael Douglas, died Friday night at age 92.

Donald Webster, her third husband of 15 years, confirmed that she died in a hospital in Woodland Hills, California, after battling cancer.

"She was a person much beloved by everyone," Webster said. "One of her greatest qualities was that she was always thinking of the other person."

The matriarch of the Douglas acting clan was born Diana Love Dill in 1923 in Devonshire, Bermuda, the youngest of six children in a prominent and wealthy old-line family.

Her father, Col. Thomas Melville Dill, was a prominent Bermudan lawyer, politician and soldier who served as the British territory's attorney general. Her mother, Ruth Rapalje Neilson, traced her lineage back to the last Dutch governor of New York, Peter Stuyvesant, according to "Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty," an unauthorized biography by Jerry Oppenheimer.

Diana Dill moved to New York and met Kirk Douglas while they were studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Webster said.

She moved to California after signing a contract with Warner Bros. and made her film debut in 1942 in "Keeper of the Flame," starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Webster said. She returned to New York to do stage and television and became a Powers Agency model, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

After she landed the cover of Life in May 1943, Kirk Douglas, who was serving in the U.S. Navy, vowed to marry her, according to the Hollywood Reporter. They marched down the aisle under crossed swords in New Orleans in 1943.

She gave birth to their first son, Michael Douglas, in 1944. After their second son, Joel, was born in 1947, the couple began to realize they were not "not right for each other" and divorced in 1951, Kirk Douglas wrote in his 2007 memoir, "Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning."

Wanting to give her children a "settled, normal upbringing" outside Hollywood, Webster raised them in Connecticut after the divorce and commuted to New York to work in television and theater, Donald Webster said. She married Broadway producer Bill Darrid in 1956; their marriage ended with his death in 1992.

Her TV credits spanned the decades to include roles big and small in "Naked City," "Flipper," "Kung Fu," "Barnaby Jones," "Cagney & Lacey," "Dynasty," Knots Landing," "The West Wing" and "ER." She also had a recurring role on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" as Martha Evans from 1977 to 1982, and appeared in an episode of "The Streets of San Francisco," the detective series starring Michael Douglas and Karl Malden that launched her son's career.

Her last film, "It Runs in the Family" in 2003, was a family reunion of sorts. She played matriarch Evelyn Gromberg opposite Kirk Douglas as her husband. Michael Douglas played her son, and her grandson Cameron Douglas played her grandson.

She married her third husband, Donald Webster, in Bermuda in 2002. The couple met in Washington at a book party for her memoir, Webster said. She was 78 and he was 70.

The couple moved to California and shared "a wonderful late-life marriage," Webster said. They bonded over a shared passion for writing and encouraged each other's creative pursuits.

"We just clicked and had a harmonious life together," he said.

"She had many talents. She had an amazing circle of friends who really loved and cared about her, the kindest people you would meet," he said. "She was a great lady, truly an exceptional person."

In addition to Webster, she is survived by her sons Michael and Joel and three grandchildren, Cameron, Dylan and Carys.

Michael Douglas: 'My marriage to Catherine is stronger than ever'

The actor says that the couple's separation helped bring them back together

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are closer than ever thanks to their brief split.

That’s according to Hollywood actor Douglas, who says the separation from May to November 2013 actually helped strengthen his marriage to Swansea actress Catherine.

He told the Daily Mail: "We’re closer than ever. I think that when both parties want to work something out, they can. It was mutual love that brought us back to each other – we’ve been back together for two years and it’s all worked out just fine.

  "The kids are doing great, too. They had a clear understanding of what was going on – I don’t think there were a lot of secrets kept – and they’re fine now. To sum up, no news is good news, and that’s what we have!”

The actor, currently starring in Ant Man says his late mum Diana and his father Kirk’s second wife Anne helped him understand relationships.

 RELATED: Spit of their mam! Catherine Zeta Jones looks exactly like her mini-mes Carys and Dylan at the same age

"The most important lesson I’ve learned through watching my father’s relationship with Anne, is – happy wife, happy life!’ Michael says, laughing. ‘And I think that is a key ingredient of a good marriage because it means you’ve learned to work as a team. Anne’s a wonderful woman – she’s been so supportive to my father and all of us. She’s terrific.”

He may have grown up under the watchful eye of a Hollywood legend but he says his children Dylan, 14, and Carys, 12, are very down-to-earth, something he and Catherine have encouraged.

"I tell them they have to think hard about what they’re going to do with their life. People are living so much longer now, and my two are going to live to 110 for sure, so the question is – what are they going to do with all the years? They’re great kids. Carys is a dancer and a very, very good one, and Dylan is an actor who also plays in a band. I enjoy being with them a lot."

  Douglas, who battled stage 4 cancer of the tongue is currently starring in cinemas in the superhero movie Ant-Man, playing a scientist who invents a suit that allows a man to shrink to the size of an ant.

And he says it’s nice to have been finally asked to star in such a film – even though Catherine was not fond of his beard.

“No one had ever asked me to be in any of these, and I’d always been a little jealous of my friends Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito who played The Joker and The Penguin in the Batman movies because it looked like they were having such a good time! I was happy to have my chance to do this and I had a wonderful time.”

‘Catherine hated the beard! She didn’t like the way it looked or felt, so as soon as the shoot was over, I shaved it off and she was very happy about that!.”

Michael Douglas: I Lied About Having Throat Cancer

Gareth Cattermole/Enertainment/Getty Images

In a new revealing interview, the ‘Wall Street’ actor admitted that he was NOT telling the whole truth when he announced in August 2010 that he had stage IV throat cancer. So why did he lie?

Really, Michael Douglas? The 69-year-old actor shocked the world in August 2010 when he revealed that he had advanced-stage throat cancer. But on Oct. 10, more than three years later, he made another revelation — that he actually had tongue cancer!

Michael Douglas: I Actually Had Tongue Cancer

Michael admitted that he knowingly deceived the press and public about his health during an interview with Samuel L. Jackson on a Male Cancer Awareness special edition of the UK talk show This Morning.

“This was right before I had on a big tour for Wall Street, so we kind of said there’s no way we can cancel the tour and say we don’t feel well,” Michael told Samuel. “You’ve got to tell them. I said you’ve just got to come out and just tell them I’ve got cancer and that’s it.”
But Michael says his doctors warned him that he may not want to reveal that he had a disease with such a negative prognosis, especially on the heels of a huge movie press tour:

The surgeon said let’s just say it’s throat cancer. I said, “OK, you don’t want to say it’s tongue cancer?” I said, “Why’s that?” and he said, “Well if you really want to know why, if we do have to have surgery it’s not going to be pretty. You’ll lose part of your jaw and your tongue and all that stuff.” So I said, “OK, sure.”

The actor seemed to suggest that he didn’t want to get into the grotesqueries of his disease — and discuss the possibility of losing part of his face — so they decided to disguise the truth.

Michael Douglas: Why Did He Lie About His Cancer?

It’s easy to feel upset and unfairly deceived by Michael’s tongue-throat lie, but he only partly misled everyone. Everything about him having cancer, and it being in Stage IV — the most advanced stage — is true, Michael reinforced. He described the moment he found out about his diagnosis:

I will always remember the look on his face. He said, “We need a biopsy.” There was a walnut-size tumor at the base of my tongue that no other doctor had seen.

So Michael lied to us, but he wasn’t doing it solely for press — he was actually sugarcoating things. The survival rate of throat cancer is about 90 percent if detected early enough, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, while the survival rate of tongue cancer is approximately 85 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The chances for tongue cancer to malignantly spread to other places in the mouth, including the throat, are also higher. And like Michael said, the surgery required to deal with tongue cancer can be more extreme.

As time goes on, our perception of Michael’s disease seems to be ever-changing. He revealed in June 2013 that his cancer was caused by contracting HPV from oral sex, though one of his reps later stated that Michael’s remarks had been taken out of context.

What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Are you upset that Michael lied about his cancer, or can you see where he was coming from? Let us know!

Michael Douglas helps Montreal hospital that detected his cancer

As a thank you, the 66-year-old actor, who owns a vacation home in the Mont-Tremblant area, personally offered his star power to the hospital.

MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS 

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones arrive at the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011. 

By: Andy Blatchford The Canadian Press, Published on Mon Apr 18 2011

MONTREAL—Michael Douglas’s battle with throat cancer began in Canada — and now the Oscar-winning actor is giving back to the Montreal hospital that detected a disease others had missed.

An appreciative Douglas, star of Hollywood films such as “Basic Instinct” and “Wall Street,” volunteered to headline a posh fundraiser next month for McGill University’s head and neck cancer fund.

Last year, Douglas underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments in the United States for a walnut-sized tumour he now says is gone.

But the cancer diagnosis first came from the McGill-affiliated Jewish General Hospital — only weeks after several physicians elsewhere had given him a clean bill of health.

As a thank you, the 66-year-old actor, who owns a vacation home north of Montreal in the Mont-Tremblant area, personally offered his star power to the hospital.

Douglas’s publicist confirmed Monday the Montreal hospital discovered the cancer first.

“That’s where he found out he had his cancer,” Allen Burry said of the Jewish General Hospital in a phone interview.

“He was happy to do it (the fundraiser).”

Organizers of the $375-a-head gala on May 3 have pencilled Douglas in as the honoured invitee, meaning he will mingle with ticket holders, sign autographs and say a few words to the guests.

Those hoping for more face time with Douglas can buy a $750 VIP ticket, giving them access to his pre-event cocktail.

“It was his very gracious offer to help us in view of his own battle with throat cancer,” said Dr. Saul Frenkiel, a co-chair of the fundraiser who was personally contacted by Douglas.

“We’re hoping as the evening unfolds that it will be a big year (for the event) ... there’s a buzz.”

Douglas and his actress wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, have even put themselves up for auction. The biggest item on the live auction list is a golf outing at Mont-Tremblant with the Hollywood power couple.

The annual event has featured celebrities in the past, including Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau and Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut.

But Frenkiel is pretty sure Douglas is the most prominent drawing card in the event’s 17 years.

“Certainly, Michael Douglas ... helps to bring to the attention of the public the need to do important research in the head and neck cancer field,” said Frenkiel, a head and neck surgeon, or otolaryngologist.

He underlined the importance of the charity because some head and neck cancers are on the rise, including thyroid cancers and throat cancers caused by the human papillomavirus.

The money raised will fund research and improvements to direct patient care. Last year’s event brought in around $1.5 million, said Frenkiel, who hopes to break the $1 million mark again.

“We were very appreciative of his kind support — it was a gracious personal offer and certainly reflected his own inner personality and willingness to help battle head and neck cancer,” he said of Douglas.

Shortly after announcing last August that he had been diagnosed with cancer, Douglas told David Letterman that he had his persistently sore throat checked out earlier in the summer.

“I actually went through a litany of doctors and tests — they didn’t find anything,” Douglas said during an appearance on Letterman’s “Late Show.”

Douglas, who will begin shooting the film “Liberace” this spring, announced in January that his tumour was gone and that he had regained 12 of the 32 pounds he had lost during treatment.

“He’s doing well, he’s doing extremely well,” Burry said.

Michael Douglas Says He's More in Love with Catherine Zeta-Jones Than Ever After 'Little Bump in the Road'

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

By Lindsay Kimble

@lekimble

06/28/2015 AT 12:15 PM EDT

Michael Douglas says despite a public split from wife Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2013, the couple is doing better than ever and are enjoying raising their two children together.

The Ant-Man star, 70, opened up about his relationship with the actress, 45, as well as life post-Cancer, for an interview with The Daily Mail.

The actor, who married Zeta-Jones in 2000, made headlines in 2013 when he alluded to oral sex as a risk factor for the type of cancer he had, later clarifying that he was making a general statement rather than speaking of his own illness.

The couple separated shortly after, although Douglas tells The Daily Mail the comments weren't the cause.

Keep up with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

"I was trying to make a public service comment," he says, later adding, "It was one of those things... and I so regretted any embarrassment that it caused Catherine. And her family."

Rather, the stress of Douglas's tongue cancer strained the pair's relationship, the actor says.

"We had a little bump in the road," he explains. "The problem in this business is that everything is so public."

The star, who was misdiagnosed three times, says his prognosis initially seemed bleak and his health rapidly deteriorated.

"I was Stage 4 and I'd seen a lot of other people that I know go," he tells the British newspaper. "It was pretty bad... but it got better. Then it even got good."

Zeta-Jones, who suffers from bipolar II disorder previously admitted to being "a mess" after his 2010 diagnosis. The actor was finally declared cancer free in January 2011, but the stress of his treatment left a mark on the pair's relationship.

Celebrate Michael Douglas's 70th with These Memorable Movie Moments

"We worked things out – if both people want to work something out and make it better, you can do it," he tells the website of their 2014 reconciliation. "You can't do it if it's just one person."

Zeta-Jones and Douglas, who will celebrate their 15th anniversary in December, share two children together, Dylan, 14, and Carys, 12.

"I love Catherine as much, more than I ever have," he says. "And hopefully the feeling's mutual."

The two-time Oscar winner also talked bout his son Cameron, 36, with ex-wife Diandra Luker. Cameron has been imprisoned since 2010 on drug dealing charges. His initial 5-year sentence was extended until at least 2018 due to drug infractions while in jail.

"I visit him and he's holding up, for a guy who really got screwed," he says, adding, "Reverse celebrity, making an example, it's been a nightmare. He's been in much longer than he should be, but hopefully it will come to an end soon."

The Wall Street star, who keeps active with his younger children, says Cameron's imprisonment has been "very hard" to deal with.

"It has been an education and I look forward to jumping into this issue once I can get him out," he says.

Michael Douglas helps Jewish General

American actor to star at Montreal hospital's cancer fundraiser as token of gratitude for detecting tumor others had missed

Sarah Bauder

Published:  04.26.11, 07:50 / Israel Activism

As a token of gratitude to the McGill University-affiliated Jewish General Hospital that first detected the cancerous tumor others had missed, Michael Douglas will headline for McGill University's annual Head and Neck Cancer Fundraiser on May 3.

Physicians at Jewish General found a walnut-sized malignant tumor in Douglas’ throat, mere weeks after American physicians had proclaimed him healthy.

After undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments in the United States, the 66-year-old actor says he is cancer-free.

As a show of appreciation, Douglas will mingle with guests at the $375 plate-per-person dinner in Le Windsor in downtown Montreal. For those willing to dig a bit deeper, a $750 VIP ticket allows more face time with the actor at a private cocktail party.

"We were very appreciative of his kind support; it was a gracious personal offer and certainly reflected his own inner personality and willingness to help battle head and neck cancer," stated Dr. Saul Frenkiel, co-chair of the annual fundraiser, and a head and neck surgeon, or otolaryngologist.

"Certainly, Michael Douglas helps to bring to the attention of the public the need to do important research in the head and neck cancer field," Frenkiel went on the say.

To further sweeten the deal, Douglas has offered a round of golf with himself and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones near their vacation home in the Mont-Tremblant region as one of the fundraiser’s auction items.

Douglas won an Academy Award for his performance in "Wall Street" in 1987. He will begin shooting "Liberace" later this spring.