SA Netflix filmmaker rejects actor over Israeli roots

Israeli-American actor Dan Shaked, who makes a point of reaching out to connect and collaborate, was devastated when South African director, writer, and actor Gabe Gabriel cut him short for being Israeli.

Shaked recently reached out to Gabriel to discuss working together, and expected a civil and open discussion that could hopefully benefit both their careers. Instead, Gabriel, who has films on Netflix, responded, “Dan, I am a staunch believer in the cultural boycott of ‘Israeli’ [Gabriel’s inverted commas] arts, and make every effort not to work with agents of the apartheid state. Please don’t contact me again. In the name of a Free Palestine, Gabe.”

Gabriel, who is transgender and based in Cape Town, saw no irony in targeting someone because of their birthplace, while being part of a minority that is often discriminated against, including by Palestinians.

All of Shaked’s grandparents are Holocaust survivors, yet he never expected that he would also experience antisemitism. Fluent in Hebrew and English, he is the son of Israeli immigrants who moved to Boston during the 1970s, but he maintains a strong connection with his birthplace.

“It struck me as ironic that I had just finished filming a Holocaust-themed series, The German,” says Shaked. “The show is an international production with actors from different countries, educating global audiences about that horrific period. Suddenly, I was facing the same hatred my grandparents had confronted. It made me appreciate deeply what they survived and overcame. It made me tremendously proud of my roots.”

At the same time, he felt “complete shock” at Gabriel’s response, and admits “the emotional impact was devastating. I was physically shaking”. In his long and varied career, he has never been discriminated against for having Israeli roots. He immediately contacted family and friends for support, but battled to sleep and concentrate as he grappled with the horror of Gabriel’s email.

In the end, he decided not to respond to Gabriel, as “no response felt appropriate”. Instead, he “focused on healing and moving forward from this painful experience. I refused to provide space for such hatred. Their complete ignorance of my identity was most surprising.”

Gabriel is the lead writer on The Mandala Murders, which launched on Netflix this week. He also wrote and acted in the film Runs in the Family, which premiered on Netflix in 2023, and still streams on the platform in South Africa. He proudly wears a “Queers for Palestine” shirt.

His social media shows that he is active in extremist anti-Israel activity in Cape Town, including regularly taking part in defamatory protests outside Cape Union Mart stores. He shared a post on Instagram saying that Israeli reports of Hamas’s atrocities on 7 October were lies; and that the massacre should not be condemned because it was “resistance”. The post also said one shouldn’t condemn Hamas’s atrocities.

He shared several posts that said that the war in Gaza should “radicalise” people, and that Zionists can be compared to Nazis. Another shared post said, “Every cry for Israel’s ‘security’ is a racist trope”, and that there should be “no nuance” when discussing the Middle East conflict.

Another post Gabriel shared said that “before choosing Palestine, Zionist leaders scouted” other places around the world. The post continues with a conspiracy theory, saying, “This wasn’t some ancient birthright, it was a colonial shopping spree that landed on Palestine because it secured the Suez Canal; controlled Mediterranean trade routes; tempted imperial powers eager to meddle in the Middle East; and offered a convenient climate for settlement.”

Shaked says he would have hoped that Gabriel would have “invested time understanding me before reaching conclusions. My identity encompasses both Israeli and American citizenship. Current global hatred requires reduction, not amplification. Artists bear responsibility for unity and connection through our work, not division.”

As a global citizen, “I wished they would examine my portfolio; understand my craft; know me personally; and recognise my genuine desire for connection,” he said.

Shaked graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and studied acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. His most recent work is the Lionsgate TV series The German, which tells the story of Holocaust survivors in Israel who help find escaped Nazi, Josef Mengele. Shaked plays the character of Steven, an American lecturer who comes to Israel to research intergenerational trauma. The series is currently airing on the Yes channel in Israel.

His international credits include guest appearances on NBC’s The Mysteries of Laura; ABC’s Body of Proof; and Shonda Rhimes’ Gilded Lilys pilot, plus roles in Jobs with Ashton Kutcher and films featured at the Tribeca and Santa Barbara film festivals.

South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) spokesperson Rolene Marks says the SAZF “unequivocally condemns” Gabriel’s “discriminatory and antisemitic actions”. His refusal to engage with Shaked “solely on the basis of his Israeli identity is not a stand for justice, it is a display of personal prejudice cloaked in political rhetoric”.

Gabriel’s actions “exemplify the moral bankruptcy at the heart of the antisemitic BDS [boycott, disinvestment, sanctions] movement, which claims to seek justice but instead legitimises the singling out and silencing of Jewish and Israeli voices”, says Marks. “This is not activism, it is bigotry.”

That Gabriel, “someone who purports to stand for the rights of the marginalised, would engage in such blatant discrimination, is especially shameful”, she says. “Rejecting an artist for his identity, not his views, reveals an intolerance that has no place in any genuine movement for human rights.

“Antisemitism has always adapted to its time,” she says. “Today, it wears the mask of ‘anti-Zionism’, but the message is the same: Jews are unwelcome. We reject this message, and we stand with Dan Shaked.”

Shaked agrees that “witnessing hatred from someone who probably experiences discrimination themselves proved particularly saddening. It revealed ignorance’s boundless nature.”

The SA Jewish Report reached out to Gabriel, asking if he discriminated against all people whose country’s policies he disagrees with, and how he would feel if he was discriminated against because of his identity. He didn’t respond by the time of publication.