Jewish creatives rally behind Mark Ruffalo in open letter

More than 170 Jewish artists and writers, including Joel Coen, Ilana Glazer, and Tony Kushner, have signed an open letter defending Mark Ruffalo against accusations of antisemitism from Paramount. The letter argues that criticizing Israel's actions is not antisemitic and that such charges are being weaponized. It supports Ruffalo's comments linking the Ellison family to the Israeli military.

The open letter, signed by prominent figures across film, television, and literature, frames the dispute as part of a broader pattern in which accusations of antisemitism are deployed to silence criticism of Israeli policy. Signatories argue that examining connections between media ownership and military operations is a legitimate ethical concern, not bigotry, and they cite the Paramount-Warner Bros. acquisition and Larry Ellison's reported $350 million in funding to the Tony Blair Institute as evidence of tech oligarchs consolidating power.

The letter also references polling showing that a majority of American Jews believe Israel's actions in Gaza constitute war crimes, with four in ten calling them genocide. This suggests the accusations against Ruffalo may contradict mainstream Jewish opinion, and the signatories frame their defense as rooted in Jewish ethical tradition rather than political expediency.