Natalie Portman has paid tribute to late writer Isaac Bashevis Singer for being a pioneer for animal rights.
The 37-year-old actress appears in a new video released by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in which she highlights all the important work done by Singer – who passed away at the age of 88 in July 1991 – to educate people about the plight of animals in the world, especially those that are farmed to go on our plates.
Portman made the video to mark the upcoming 40th anniversary of him winning the Nobel Prize in Literature this autumn.
In the video, she says: "Isaac Singer grew up in the same part of Poland as my family. And like them, he fled the horrors of the Holocaust. But the cruelties he witnessed made Singer one of the most powerful writers of the 20th century."
Referencing his autobiographical novel ‘Shosha’ – in which the Jewish writer wrote "We do to God’s creatures what the Nazis did to us" – and his story ‘The Slaughterer’ which he penned for The New Yorker and which is about a young man who loves animals but is appointed his town’s ritual slaughterer leading him to contemplate the roots of violence in society.
In that text, Singer wrote: "As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell together."
In her video aimed at teaching a new generation about Singer’s legacy, Portman says: "Nowadays, many of us speak up for animals, but it wasn’t always like this. Decades ago, one man articulated the plight of animals so boldly that the modern world couldn’t ignore him."
The video also features music by Moby and it was directed by Bob Dylan’s daughter, filmmaker Jesse Dylan,
Portman made the decision to cut meat from her diet as a child and has stuck to her principles ever since.
The ‘Black Swan’ star – who was named the hottest female vegetarian in the world back in 2015 – previously said of her decisions: "I’ve been a vegetarian since I was nine and vegan on and off. A good pasta is probably my favourite dish."
Natalie Portman wants to educate the world on Isaac Bashevis Singer
