Over 170 Jewish Artists Sign Letter Defending Mark Ruffalo Against Antisemitism Claims
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More than 170 Jewish creatives have signed an open letter rejecting accusations that actor Mark Ruffalo’s comments on the Gaza conflict constitute antisemitism, while also criticizing a proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
More than 170 Jewish artists, writers and other public figures signed an open letter on Tuesday defending actor Mark Ruffalo from recent accusations of antisemitism. The signatories, which include Hannah Einbinder, Abbi Jacobson, Gina Gershon, Joel Coen and Ilana Glazer, said the charges against Ruffalo were unfounded and aimed at silencing criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.
"Enough! Enough with the false and dangerous weaponization of charges of antisemitism against those who are brave enough to point out the obvious: that the assault on the Palestinian people and the assault on our liberties at home are deeply interconnected, and there is nothing antisemitic about recognizing that fact," the letter reads.
The letter also condemned the planned merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing it would eliminate thousands of jobs and concentrate media ownership. It linked the merger to broader concerns about technology firms’ influence and cited statements by Oracle executives about the company’s technology being used in the Gaza conflict.
Ruffalo’s comments, made in an Instagram post on Aug. 21, described the war in Gaza as a "genocide" and warned that the Paramount-Warner deal could have geopolitical implications. Paramount responded that using terms such as "genocide" and "apartheid" to describe a corporate transaction was inappropriate and minimized the suffering those words describe. The Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Creative Community for Peace also expressed criticism of Ruffalo.
Support for Ruffalo has come from other entertainers, including Jane Fonda and filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan, who described the antisemitism accusations as "preposterous" and a "cynical" falsehood. The open letter referenced a recent Washington Post poll indicating that a majority of American Jews believe Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza, questioning the logic of labeling critics of the war as antisemitic.
The signatories concluded by urging an end to what they described as the misuse of antisemitism accusations in debates over the war and corporate consolidation.