Rabbinic group accuses Jewish entertainers of 'whitewashing antisemitism' in Mark Ruffalo defense
The Coalition for Jewish Values condemned dozens of Jewish entertainers who signed a letter supporting Mark Ruffalo after he was accused of antisemitism for criticizing the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount merger.
A rabbinic organization is accusing dozens of Jewish entertainers of "whitewashing antisemitism" after they publicly defended actor Mark Ruffalo against charges that he invoked anti-Jewish tropes while opposing a major media merger. The Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents more than 2,500 traditional and Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, issued a sharp rebuke of the Hollywood figures who signed a letter supporting Ruffalo.
The dispute centers on an August 22 Instagram post in which Ruffalo criticized the proposed $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount transaction. In that post, Ruffalo tied the merger to Oracle's work with Israel and claimed that the Ellison family, who are Jewish, were "powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world." He also framed the corporate deal as built on "genocide" and "apartheid."
"Ruffalo did not merely criticize a business deal," the Coalition for Jewish Values said in a statement. "That is not policy criticism, but mischaracterization of civil rights for Jews and Arabs as racism, and the rescue of Jewish hostages as murder." The group argued that more than 170 Jewish entertainment figures who signed a letter dismissing the antisemitism charge as an "outrageous smear campaign" have "little knowledge of Jewish history or the nature of antisemitism."
"To be certain, they are entitled to their ignorant and misguided views," the statement continued. "They are not, however, entitled to be taken seriously when they engage in whitewashing antisemitism, or suggest that those with sufficient discernment to recognize the oldest of anti-Jewish tropes should deny the obvious."
The group also noted that "America set itself apart from much of the world precisely by declaring hatred of Jews unwelcome, regardless of who dressed it up as righteousness." It suggested Ruffalo "owes much of his career to the Founding Fathers who made America so hospitable, and the Jews who fled persecution in Europe to build new homes for their children in a friendlier land," adding that descendants of those immigrants created Marvel Comics and invented The Incredible Hulk in early 20th-century New York.
Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the coalition, told Fox News Digital that Ruffalo's remarks were "embarrassing" and reflected a "mythical inversion" of the situation in the Middle East. Ruffalo was accused of invoking antisemitic tropes by Paramount after sharing a video of Safra Catz, an Oracle executive vice chair and Paramount board member, discussing technology Oracle used to assist Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. He linked Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, to financing behind the proposed acquisition and suggested the merger would be used to push "oppression."
"These 'really profoundly scary technologies' will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you," Ruffalo said in the post. "Look how she revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle."
The letter supporting Ruffalo was signed by figures including Abbi Jacobson, Alex Winter, Gina Gershon, Ilana Glazer, James Schamus, Joel Coen, Larry Charles, Kate Berlant, Naomi Klein, Sarah Sherman, Jane Schoenbrun, Todd Haynes and Tony Kushner. They denied that Ruffalo's comments were antisemitic, claiming executives "themselves have explicitly linked to their support for the ongoing depredations being visited on the people of Palestine and their silencing of critics of those horrors." The celebrities also argued that a majority of American Jews now believe Israel committed war crimes in Gaza, with a significant portion believing Israel is guilty of genocide, and called for an end to "spurious charges of antisemitism."
Ruffalo previously denied pushing antisemitism in a statement to Fox News Digital after Paramount's original condemnation. "The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest," he said. "Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people."
The proposed transaction would place CNN, HBO and Warner Bros. studio assets under the Ellison family's control. A coalition of 12 state attorneys general has sued to block it on antitrust grounds, and the companies agreed not to close until five days after a court ruling on the merits or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.
