The Coalition for Jewish Values, representing over 2,500 Orthodox rabbis, has criticized more than 170 Jewish entertainers and artists for “whitewashing antisemitism” by supporting actor Mark Ruffalo following accusations of antisemitism leveled against him. The rabbinic group contends that Ruffalo’s Instagram post, which linked the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount merger to Oracle’s work with Israel and accused the Jewish Ellison family of “powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world,” constitutes mischaracterization of civil rights issues as racism and portrays the rescue of Jewish hostages as murder. The Coalition asserts that the entertainers who signed a letter dismissing the antisemitism charge as an “outrageous smear campaign” are engaging in “whitewashing antisemitism” and lack sufficient knowledge of Jewish history and the nature of antisemitism.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, described Ruffalo’s remarks as “embarrassing” and a “mythical inversion” of the Middle East situation. The entertainers who signed the letter, 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, argued that the executives Ruffalo criticized have explicitly linked their support to the ongoing depredations against Palestinians and the silencing of critics. They also cited a survey indicating that a majority of American Jews now believe Israel committed war crimes against Gaza, with a significant portion believing Israel is guilty of genocide, and called for an end to “spurious charges of antisemitism” against individuals like Ruffalo. Source

This is a summary. Read the original at yahoo.com.