Meryl Steep made sure to truthfully praise Steven Spielberg and his Shoah Foundation while giving a speech during its 30th-anniversary Ambassadors for Humanity Gala. The event, which remembers the Holocaust, was held at New York Hilton Midtown on October 13, Sunday.
According to People magazine, Streep said that it was honoring and humbling to be there in the attendance of survivors of the Shoah and in the presence of some individuals who showed the dedication of their, “lives, heart and soul, to preserving the memories of these people and honoring their lives.”
While talking about Spielberg, the veteran actress expressed that three decades prior, her, “lion-hearted friend, Steven Spielberg, oppression artist with an unmatched gift for storytelling, saw that the defense of the truth was very, very important.”
The Little Women star shared that together with some visionary associates who partnered and founded the USC Shoah Foundation and established living memories and collections of thousands of first-hand witnesses’ descriptions of what actually happened the years before today’s “digital manipulations.”
She continued, “This vault of irrefutable truth has a living mission, and 80 plus years after the Holocaust.” The Academy Award-winning actress also stated that the words spoken by the survivors are significantly more essential than ever to be a testimony of what “hate” can do and where we can be led by that and to recall the repercussions if nothing is done by us and to keep alive its memories of what actually occurred.
She added that it is not only to document the unimaginable deeds but also to motivate us with the examples of bravery that are lying within them, that they make clear to us. She said that the same bravery is something that we will require very soon.
Along with Streep, other celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Debra Messing, and Whoopi Goldberg also attended the Gala. The event was also graced by the presence of more than 60 Holocaust survivors, per the publication.
The foundation was founded in 1994 by the acclaimed filmmaker after the release of his movie released in 1993, Schindler’s List. The foundation helps out with educating by sharing the testimonies of Holocaust survivors which are recorded and preserved by the non-profit organization.
ALSO READ: 5 Social Media Lessons To Take From Kim Kardashian’s Personal Instagram Feed
