George Clooney speaking during a Simon Wiesenthal Center’s virtual gala, Oct. 28, 2020. Photo: Screenshot.

George and Amal Clooney were honored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) during a gala it held on Wednesday.

The actor and director accepted the SWC’s Humanitarian Award on behalf of himself and his wife, who together founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice, during the SWC and Museum of Tolerance’s National Tribute Dinner, held virtually this year for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Citing recent genocides and atrocities around the world, he commented, “We have said time and time again ‘Never again,’ and we mean it, all of us, you and I. But the truth is we’re not very good at it. We fail more often than we succeed, and that’s part of the problem.”

“I fail a lot more than I’d like to,” he added. “Doesn’t mean we don’t try. Don’t mean that we don’t keep pushing that ball up the hill. These are never going to easy solutions but if we always remember the word tolerance, that’s the key. Tolerance for all races [and] tolerance for all religions. That’s what matters. That’s the most important part.”

It was also noted during the gala that Clooney had recently narrated “Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres,” a documentary produced by SWC’s Moriah Films, which will premiere in coming weeks as a Netflix original documentary.

The virtual event raised $1.9 million to support the work of the SWC and its Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.