American actors Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik and Debra Messing are among the 1,200 signatories on an open letter decrying a boycott of Israeli films.
According to Deadline, the open letter was organized by Creative Community For Peace in response to a petition signed earlier this month by over 4,000 actors and other film professionals, pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
Signatories of the original petition include actors Mark Ruffalo, Olivia Colman, Tilda Swinton, Ayo Edebiri, Javier Bardem and Aimee Lou Wood, and directors Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Emma Seligman, Asif Kapadia, Boots Riley, Adam McKay and Joshua Oppenheimer.
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In response to the petition, the organizers of the open letter wrote that “Israel’s entertainment 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.”
They added, “Israeli film institutions are not government entities. They are often the loudest critics of government policy.”
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Liev Schreiber, right, and wife Taylor Neisen attend the premiere of “Caught Stealing” at Regal Union Square in August, in New York. Credit: Evan Agostini/AP
Liev Schreiber, right, and wife Taylor Neisen attend the premiere of “Caught Stealing” at Regal Union Square in August, in New York. Credit: Evan Agostini/AP Related Articles
“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.”