LOS ANGELES: More than 1,200 Hollywood figures—including Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik, and Sharon Osbourne—have signed a new letter rejecting calls to boycott Israeli film institutions accused of “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid.”
The counter-letter, released Thursday by Creative Community For Peace and The Brigade, was drafted in response to an earlier pledge by over 5,000 actors, directors, and film workers—among them Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Olivia Colman, and Susan Sarandon—vowing not to collaborate with Israeli institutions.
“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 counter-letter states. It describes the boycott pledge as “misinformation” that “advocates for censorship and erases dissenting Israeli voices.”
The new letter urges those seeking peace to “call for the immediate release of remaining hostages and stand against Hamas.”
While the boycott pledge attracted bigger Hollywood stars, the rejection letter drew support from powerful industry stakeholders, including Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, Will & Grace creator David Kohan, and FOX Entertainment Global CEO Fernando Szew.
Meanwhile, Filmmakers for Palestine dismissed the counter-letter as “thinly veiled anti-Palestinian racism.” They stressed that their boycott targets Israeli institutions complicit in genocide, not individual Israeli artists.
Paramount Studios also criticized the pledge, saying, “Silencing artists based on nationality does not promote peace. We need more engagement and communication—not less.”
The divide highlights Hollywood’s growing rift over Israel’s war in Gaza and the role of cultural institutions in global calls for accountability.