Arnold Schwarzenegger to be honored by Holocaust Museum LA on Monday

At a time when antisemitism is rising throughout the United States, Hollywood icon and former professional bodybuilder and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – an Austrian native whose father Gustav Schwarzenegger was a Nazi soldier in Austria during World War II – is being honored by Holocaust Museum LA with its inaugural Award of Courage during the group’s 15th annual gala Monday night (November 6) at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He will be presented the award by Oscar-nominated producer Mike Medavoy and will be joined by a dozen octogenarian, nonagenarian and centenarian Holocaust survivors.

Schwarzenegger, an Emmy winner who has been a vocal opponent of antisemitism and hate speech for many years, was greatly moved last year by a visit to the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland and posted a lengthy video last March on his YouTube page, In the video, he spoke directly to those who are “at the crossroads” of going on a path driven by hate, saying that such a path may seem easy, but that those who follow it “will not find success at the end of that road.” Choosing to focus on hate, he said, is essentially choosing to create a scapegoat instead of taking responsibility.

“Hate burns fast and bright. It might make you feel empowered for a while, but it eventually consumes whatever vessel it fuels. It breaks you,” Schwarzenegger said in his video. “…There has never been a successful movement based on hate. … I don’t want you to be a loser.” He added that people should opt for a life of personal accountability and true strength.  “When you spend your life looking for scapegoats, you take away your own responsibility. You remove your own power. You steal your own strength,” he said. …You have to give up your war against everyone you hate. … The war you really have to fight is the war against yourself.”

PREDICT the 2024 Oscar nominees through January 23

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?