Jewish performer Barbra Streisand bestowed with Screen Actor's Guild lifetime award

Actress, singer, movie director, and producer Barbra Streisand was honored on Saturday with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Life Achievement Award in recognition of her prolific career and humanitarian work.

The 81-year-old Streisand received SAG's highest award from Jennifer Aniston and Bradley Cooper. She was the 59th recipient of the award, which goes to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession." She was received with a standing ovation and many of her fellow actors were in tears.

Streisand recounted her dream of becoming an actress as a teenager in Brooklyn and being in awe of actor Marlon Brando in the 1955 film Guys and Dolls.

"That make-believe world was much more pleasant than anything I was experiencing," Streisand told the crowd.

"I didn't like reality. I wanted to be in the movies even though I knew I didn't look like the other women on the screen. My mother said, 'You better learn to type,' but I didn't listen."

It was the first SAG award for Streisand, who has two Oscars, 10 Grammys, five Emmys and an honorary "Star of the Decade" Tony that put her in the elite EGOT club of stars who have won all those awards.

Streisand won her first Oscar in 1969 for her leading role as entertainer Fanny Brice in the 1968 comedy Funny Girl. She felt the biggest connection to that character because, as she told The Los Angeles Times, "She wanted so much out of life... just like me when I played that part."

She was nominated again for an Oscar playing opposite Robert Redford in the 1973 romance story The Way We Were.

She went on to direct and star in the musical drama Yentl in 1983 and repeated the double feat in the romantic drama The Prince of Tides in 1991.

Her first Grammy came in 1964 for "The Barbra Streisand Album," and in 1978 she won twice for "Love Theme from A Star is Born (Evergreen)," a movie in which she starred opposite Kris Kristofferson.

Jewish performers with range

Streisand, whose repertoire ranges from Broadway standards to pop, jazz and classical music, is the only recording artist to achieve a No. 1 album on the Billboard charts in each of the last six decades.

Streisand's philanthropic work through The Streisand Foundation includes advocating for the environment, women's rights, civil liberties, and nuclear disarmament. She has also established a Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and raised funds for medical care in Ukraine after a 2022 call with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In late 2023, she published her 970-page memoir My Name is Barbra, a bestseller that took 10 years to complete.

Streisand completed her acceptance speech with an ode to her fellow actors and directors.

"I've loved working with you, playing with you, and inhabiting that magical world of the movies," she said. "And most of all, I want to thank you for giving me so much joy."

Streisand continues to perform in times of stress for the Jewish people

In November, Streisand met with comic and television host Stephen Colbert a month into the Gaza War to discuss the war and antisemitism among other topics. While promoting her book memoir, she discussed hostilities against Jewish people on the rise.

"It's so sad. It's sad about what's going on today. Meaning, people have to live together even though they are [of] different religions or whatever. People are people: It's true. You know, we all want the same thing: We all want love in our hearts. We all want family. We all want to feel secure," she said on Colbert.

"I hope for the best because this is heartbreaking – what's happening now with these people. The children, the mothers, doesn't matter what religion they are. You know what I mean? This is beyond religion. This is insanity for us not to learn how to live together in peace."

She noted that it would be hard to talk about her career during such a stressful time. "You know, where is God in this time? Where is He or She? Why can't that energy stop this madness?"

Shortly after the October 7 massacre, she posted to spread awareness of the day's events. Streisand, whose Judaism has always been a huge part of her onstage and on-screen persona, posted a story to her Instagram account that read, “The population of Israel is under 10 million people. There are over 700 confirmed Israeli dead from the terrorist attack on civilians. The equivalent in the US would be over 25,000 dead in New York City on 9/11.”

Genesis Prize recipient

The iconic actor, singer, director, author, and activist has been named as the 10th anniversary Genesis Prize Laureate. “I am delighted to be honored by the special 10th-anniversary Genesis Prize and to work with The Genesis Prize Foundation to support organizations that seek to better society and our shared humanity,” she said.

“I am very proud of my Jewish heritage and have always been moved by the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam: to repair the world. I hope to join and inspire others in their own commitment to build a better world.”

The $1 million Genesis Prize, dubbed the “Jewish Nobel” by Time magazine, honors extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional achievements, contributions to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values.

Following the tradition of Genesis Prize recipients, Streisand has asked the Genesis Prize Foundation to direct her prize funds to nonprofit organizations working in four areas: protecting the environment, promoting women’s health, combating disinformation in the media, and aiding the people of Ukraine.

Michal Herzog, the wife of Israel's President Isaac Herzog, said: “Barbra Streisand is not only my idol, a wonderful singer and actress, but also a trailblazer woman in the show business and film industry – an inspiration for women around the world. She is a true friend of Israel, an exemplary leader in the Jewish and human rights spheres – the definition of a woman of valor!”

Since the launch of the Genesis Prize in 2013, Streisand has received tens of thousands of nominations and votes for it. Recognizing the overwhelming display of support and admiration by global Jewry over the past decade, the judges of the selection and prize committees unanimously endorsed her. She was to be honored at a special ceremony in Los Angeles in October 2023.

Streisand and her eponymous foundation have provided extensive funding to more than 2,000 nonprofit organizations and causes over the past 37 years. Most recently, she assumed the role of ambassador for United 24, an organization that provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The Genesis Prize Foundation contributed to United 24 in Streisand’s honor earlier this year, along with grants to many other Jewish activists and NGOs working to help alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people.