More than 170 Jewish individuals in the entertainment sector, such as Hannah Einbinder, Joel Coen, and Canadian filmmaker Emma Seligman, have endorsed an open declaration supporting American actor Mark Ruffalo against what they describe as an unjustified campaign to tarnish his reputation.
The signatories, comprising Jewish artists, writers, creators, faith leaders, and intellectuals, have come together to convey a clear message to the public, stating “Enough!” The letter, released on Tuesday, emphasizes that Ruffalo has been targeted with baseless allegations of antisemitism for his criticism of Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and his observations linking this deal to the conflict in Gaza.
The letter highlights that Paramount Skydance, partially owned by CEO David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison, who holds the position of co-founder and chief technology officer at Oracle, has openly expressed support for Israel. The technology company based in Austin has acknowledged sharing technology with the Israeli military.
Efforts to obtain comments from Mark Ruffalo’s representatives, Paramount Skydance, and Oracle by CBC News are ongoing. In response to his critique of the deal, Paramount accused Ruffalo of invoking antisemitic stereotypes.
In a previous instance, over 1,000 Jewish members of the entertainment industry condemned Ruffalo’s statements for allegedly targeting Jewish executives using terms associated with age-old antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Ruffalo has refrained from directly addressing the recent letter but has reposted a video on Instagram criticizing the proposed merger. He vehemently denies the accusations of antisemitism, emphasizing that his criticisms were directed solely towards actions of the Israeli prime minister and military technology contracts and their suppliers, not the Jewish people.
The ongoing dispute between Ruffalo and Paramount stems from the delay in the acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount Skydance, valued at $110 billion US, due to legal action by 12 U.S. state attorneys general citing antitrust concerns.
The latest letter in support of Ruffalo also includes endorsements from notable figures like author Naomi Klein, retired rabbi David Mivasair, physician Gabor Maté from Canada, and American actor Ilana Glazer, and filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun.
The signatories express solidarity with Mark Ruffalo and all individuals courageously speaking out against perceived injustices.