More than 1,200 entertainment industry figures - including Jewish actors Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik, and Debra Messing - have signed a new open letter condemning a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions over the war in Gaza, reported Variety.
The letter, released Thursday by Creative Community for Peace and The Brigade, calls on the nearly 4,000 signatories of the boycott - among them Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix - to reconsider their stance. Other prominent names backing the letter include Gene Simmons, Sharon Osbourne, Greg Berlanti, Jerry O’Connell, Howie Mandel, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Lisa Edelstein, Erin Foster, Anthony Edwards, Rebecca De Mornay, Sherry Lansing, and Haim Saban.
“We know the power of film. We know the power of story,” the letter reads. “That is why we cannot stay silent when a story is turned into a weapon, when lies are dressed up as justice, and when artists are misled into amplifying antisemitic propaganda.”
The letter denounces the boycott pledge - circulated by Film Workers for Palestine - as “a document of misinformation that advocates for arbitrary censorship and the erasure of art.” It warns that silencing voices seeking common ground is “wrong, ineffective and a form of collective punishment.”
The original boycott, released September 8, vowed to reject collaboration with Israeli institutions “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” Among its signatories are Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Adam McKay, Olivia Colman, Lily Gladstone, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Cynthia Nixon, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, and others.
Debra Messing stated, “When artists boycott fellow artists based solely on their country of origin, it is blatant discrimination and a betrayal of our role as storytellers. History shows us that boycotts against Jews have long been a tool of authoritarian regimes - by joining this effort, these artists are knowingly or unknowingly aligning themselves with a dark legacy of antisemitism.”
Mayim Bialik added, “Artists and creatives have a unique opportunity and responsibility to remind the world of our shared humanity. Boycotting filmmakers, studios, production companies and individuals simply because they are Israeli fuels division and contributes to a disturbing culture of marginalization. Additionally, this boycott pledge does nothing to end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home, or help curb the alarming rise of antisemitism globally.”
Paramount also weighed in on September 12, rejecting the boycott. “Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace,” said chief communications officer Melissa Zukerman. “We need more engagement and communication - not less.”