It’s a standing joke in my family that I love Keanu Reeves. It started in my 30s when I loved how he looked, but over the years, it’s morphed into respect for a man who works in a filthy industry but seems to have retained a strong moral compass and avoids all of Hollywood’s worst trends. It says something about the man that the Hamas lovers have come after him.

One of the hallmarks of totalitarians is “hit lists.” Indeed, if you’re at all familiar with Giovannino Guareschi’s delightful Don Camillo books from the 1950s, which describe a small Italian village divided between communists and Catholics, you know that one of the stories describes how the communist mayor, Peppone, tries to protect Father Don Camillo, who’s been put on a list when a rumor goes around that the Communists have won the national elections. Because this is Guareschi, the story is both amusing and imbued with a deep humanism, but the underlying point is the same: leftists make kill lists.

When I was in Vietnam, in Hue, which was the heart of where the Tet Offensive was fought, our guide told us that once the Americans pulled out, the Viet Cong took their list and began the slaughter. An older man, it was clear from how he spoke that he remembered those days.

That’s why it shouldn’t be any surprise that the Hamas folks have been making lists. A list emerged last week on which people could get answers to whether “your fav author [is] a zionist.” The list is color-coded, telling people whether the person is “Pro-Israel/Zionist,” trying to remain balanced, silent on the subject, “It’s complicated,” or “Pro-Palestine/Anti-Zionist.” The list includes dead writers as well as the living.

Naturally, I’m tempted to go out and read every single book written by someone “Pro-Israel/Zionist,” but the real point is that the list should never have happened. We know from bitter past experience that when you give a totalitarian a list, that list is used to harass people, limit their civil rights, and, eventually, kill them. If they’re dead, count on their graves being desecrated. The communists among us, the ones who have moved to the heart of the Democrat party, and the Islamists are all cut from the same totalitarian cloth.

Not content with books, which too few Americans read, the list-makers have now gone after Hollywood—and Keanu Reeves is at the top of the list:

The X account Zionists in Film has called out Keanu Reeves — the poster child for Hollywood civility — for transgressions: Attending a 2014 Malibu party where Benjamin Netanyahu was also in attendance, and being trained by an ex-Mossad agent for combat scenes in the “John Wick” franchise.

Need more? Reeves failed to speak out when the Israeli government used a pic from “The Matrix” in an X post last year. Never mind that the actor didn’t actually “like” or endorse the post and probably has no idea it even exists. 

Keanu is one of the most popular actors in America. He’s made an extraordinary string of hit movies, everything from Speed to the Matrix series to the John Wick movies. (I happen to be particularly fond of Constantine and Destination Wedding.)

He’s also just so darn decent. Keanu stays out of politics, understanding that his fans come from both sides of the aisle. He’s a crack shot, which means he’s not anti-gun. And there’s the endless supply of stories about his...well, niceness—the donations to charity, the seats given to women in the subways, the bus rides with stranded passengers, etc. As I said, in an indecent industry filled with people always chasing the spotlight, Keanu stands out.

The list makers are also coming for “Zionists in Music,” with people such as Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Justin Bieber, and Elton John making the list. I suddenly decided that I don’t really hate Rhianna’s and Justin Bieber’s music after all...

I sincerely hope that these pernicious lists have the opposite effect of that which the totalitarians clearly desire. They want these “pro-Zionist” writers, actors, and musicians to be destroyed, both professionally and personally. Instead, people should be lining up to buy their products, with Keanu’s legion of fans at the head of the line.  

Image: Keanu Reeves. YouTube screen grab.