Our Friend Who Stands Against Hate, David Schwimmer

He is best known for his role as Ross Geller on the TV show Friends, but to us, he is our friend who stands against antisemitism.

David Schwimmer was born in 1966 to a Jewish family in Queens and raised in Los Angeles, where he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. Pivoting to his career, Schwimmer is a director, producer, actor, and co-founder of Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company. He has spent decades working across stage and screen. On screen, he voiced Melman the giraffe in the Madagascar franchise. Off screen, he’s teamed up with the ADL to use his voice to speak out against antisemitism and all forms of hate.

He said, “As you know, speaking out often comes at a cost… I’ve been attacked and threatened by people I’ve never met. I’ve been abandoned by people I thought were friends… But I’ve also found amazing moments of meaning and solidarity… Our spirit is unbreakable, our joy is irrepressible, our story is impossible. We are kind, resilient, innovative, generous and strong… But so many have chosen not to say anything publicly at all, and if I can say something directly to them: I really wish you would.”

We never want to be on a break with David Schwimmer.

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Photo: Lookingglass Theatre Company