Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, and more sign letter condemning Film Workers For Palestine boycott

Since it began circulating earlier this month, over 5,000 artists, including Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, and Andrew Garfield, have signed a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions in protest of what an open letter associated with the boycott calls “the carnage in Gaza.” The Israeli film industry has found its own body of support in the wake of the movement, however. Today, an organization called Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) released its own open letter condemning the previous open letter.

“We know the power of film. We know the power of story. 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,” CCFP’s letter begins. “The pledge circulated under the banner of ‘Film Workers for Palestine’ is not an act of conscience. It is a document of misinformation that advocates for arbitrary censorship and the erasure of art. To censor the very voices trying to find common ground and express their humanity, is wrong, ineffective, and a form of collective punishment.”

It should be noted that the Film Workers for Palestine letter specifically calls on its signatories to boycott “festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies… that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” which it defines as entites actively participating in “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.” CCFP’s letter argues that Israel’s film industry is more collaborative than the opposing letter gives it credit for. The industry is a “vibrant hub of collaboration between Jewish and Palestinian artists and creatives, who work together every single day to tell complex stories that entertain and inform both communities and the world,” it reads. “Israeli film institutions are not government entities. They are often the loudest critics of government policy.”

Over 1,200 actors, directors, and other industry professionals have signed the letter, including Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik, Greg Berlanti, Gene Simmons, Debra Messing, Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel, and more. (You can find the full list of signatories here.) “When artists boycott fellow artists based solely on their country of origin, it is blatant discrimination and a betrayal of our role as storytellers,” Messing said in her own statement shared by CCFP. “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.” In her own statement, Bialik also wrote, in part, “This boycott pledge does nothing to end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home, or help curb the alarming rise of antisemitism globally.”

“We know that many of you have good intentions and believe you are standing for peace. But your names are being weaponized and tied to lies and discrimination. This pledge erases dissenting Israeli voices, legitimizes falsehoods, and shields Hamas from blame,” the letter continues. “We call on all our colleagues in the entertainment industry to reject this discriminatory and antisemitic boycott call that only adds another roadblock on the path to peace.” 

Read the full text of the letter below:

“To our fellow artists and the global film community,

We know the power of film. We know the power of story. 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.