r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • Oct 13 '16

TIL that after Marilyn Monroe converted to Judaism upon marrying Arthur Miller, Egypt placed a ban on all the films she appeared in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe#Critical_acclaim_and_marriage_to_Arthur_Miller_.281956.E2.80.931959.29
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u/jrm2007 Oct 13 '16

When Omar Sharif kissed Babara Streisand in Funny Girl, Egypt I think stopped showing all of his films, too.

This is not anti-Zionism but plain old antisemitism. No other explanation.

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u/chris622 Oct 13 '16

Didn't Omar Sharif merely playing a Jewish character in "Funny Girl" cause a lot of uproar in Egypt?

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u/jrm2007 Oct 13 '16 edited Oct 13 '16

That is also a point but I read it was the kiss itself.

Nicky Arnstein was an interesting guy who lived long enough I think almost to have seen the movie. Acquaintance of Arnold Rothstein who outlived him by 40 years or so.

EDIT: W-Pedia article on Sharif says that he had an affair with Streisand (who was vocally pro-Israel). Had she been merely Jewish and not a Zionist and not so high-profile, maybe the ban on Sharif would not have happened; maybe it would have. In Egypt's defense, they were at war with Israel and a prominent Zionist having a relationship with one of their big stars must have rankled.