“Stranger Things” star Brett Gelman has had two stops on his vanishing book tour.
Bookstores in California and Illinois blocked scheduled events featuring the 47-year-old comedian because of harassment and threats from antisemitic and anti-Israel protesters, he claimed.
The Jewish actor will no longer have the opportunity to promote his fiction debut at Book Passage in San Francisco and The Book Stall in Winnetka. Gelman was set to appear at the venue as part of a four-city tour for his upcoming collection of short stories, “The Terrifying Realm of the Possible: Nearly True Stories.”
“Bookstores were canceled because of threats from protesters,” Gelman, who portrays Murray Bauman on the Netflix hit, told The Post. “I didn’t get a lot of specific details… [but] I definitely believe it is because of my vocal support for Israel and because of the fact that I am Jewish. I think this is a completely antisemitic act.”
Gelman, who is Jewish, said two stops on his planned book tour were canceled because of security concerns. GC image
Gelman, who learned of the cancellation through his representative, said he now fears for his safety, but will not be threatened into silence. The other two scheduled appearances on the book tour – New York on March 18 and West Hollywood on March 27 – remained unchanged on Friday.
“I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if they faced the same type of threat, but I hope that neither venue feels the need to cancel the event,” Gelman said.
An employee at The Book Stall confirmed Gelman’s appearance had been canceled, but declined to provide additional information. Messages seeking comment from Book Passage in San Francisco were not returned Friday.
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Gelman’s first work of fiction, a collection of short stories, will be released next month by Dey Street Books.
Gelman’s book, which will be released on March 19, features short stories that feature characters in “uniquely strange stages of life” as they negotiate themes such as morality, fame, religion and death. The 272-page tome had “nothing to do with Israel,” but emphasized his Jewish identity, he said.
The actor-turned-author has been outspoken online and off about his support for Israel.
Gelman identifying himself as a “Zionist pig” on social media and visited victims at a hospital in Ra’anana, Israel, in December.
In the same month, he appeared in the Israeli sketch show “Eretz Nehederet. He plays a professor from the University of California-Berkley in a bit that targets anti-Israel protesters at colleges and universities in the United States.
A Bookstand in Winnetka, Illinois, where Gelman was set to appear on March 20, was canceled due to concerns about antisemitism, the actor told The Post. Cindy Barrymore/Shutterstock
In January, he confronted some of his 200,000 followers on X, wrote: “If you don’t at least blame Hamas for the deaths of its people, you don’t care about the Palestinians. You just hate Jews. If you don’t call for the release of the hostages when you call for a ceasefire, you just hate Jews. And if you hate Jews, please stop following me.”
Gelman, best known for his role as Murray Bauman on “Stranger Things,” has been a staunch supporter of Israel since the Oct. 7 attacks. ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
German also recently signed a letter along with 200 others – including fellow celebrities David Schwimmer, Michael Rapaport and Debra Messing – calling on the Motion Picture Academy to stop perpetuating antisemitism.
A March 20 appearance in Winnetka would spoil a homecoming for the Illinois native, but Gelman is now looking elsewhere in San Francisco, as well as in Chicago.
“If I have to get security, I will get security,” he said. “I believe in the solidarity of the Jews, that they support me. That is the lining in all of this. It really mobilized the Jewish community to rise up and unite in the face of this crazy moment when antisemitism has been normalized and so has the support of Islamic fundamentalism and Islamic jihad.”
And, while the cancellations were “heartbreaking,” Gelman didn’t let them ruin his launch.
“I’m proud of my book and I’m so excited for everyone to read it,” she said. “I can’t let these people ruin my experience, but people need to know that this happens to Jews all the time.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
