Hannah Einbinder, Emma Seligman and others sign letter challenging antisemitism claims against Mark Ruffalo

More than 170 Jewish members of the entertainment industry, including Hannah Einbinder, Joel Coen and Canadian filmmaker Emma Seligman, have signed an open letter defending American actor Mark Ruffalo from what they called an "outrageous smear campaign."

"We are Jewish artists, writers, creative professionals, faith leaders and thinkers who have ... a simple message to share with the world," reads the letter, published Tuesday . "Enough!"

The letter says Ruffalo has been facing "the false and dangerous weaponization of charges of antisemitism" for speaking out against Paramount Skydance's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and drawing connections between the deal and the war in Gaza.

Paramount Skydance is 47 per cent owned by CEO David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, who is also co-founder and chief technology officer of Oracle. The Austin-based technology company has been open about its support of Israel, with a top executive previously acknowledging that Oracle shared technology with the Israeli army.

CBC News has reached out to Ruffalo's representatives, as well as Paramount Skydance and Oracle, for comment.

Thousands in the film industry pledge to not work with 'complicit' Israeli institutions

Canadian filmmakers, Hollywood celebrities urge TIFF to cut ties with RBC

In a statement to TheWrap and other outlets last month , Paramount said Ruffalo invoked antisemitic tropes when criticizing the deal.

"Words like 'genocide' and 'apartheid,' applied to a corporate transaction, aren't just wrong — they're a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe," the statement said.

An earlier letter signed by more than 1,000 Jewish members of the entertainment industry similarly condemned the actor's statements for "singling out Jewish executives" with "terms lifted from centuries-old antisemitic conspiracy theories."

Ruffalo has not publicly commented on Tuesday's letter, though he has since reshared a video on Instagram criticizing the proposed merger.

He has previously called the accusations of antisemitism against him "appalling and fundamentally dishonest" in a post on X , saying his criticisms were limited to "the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it."

"My views ... should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect."

The letter released Tuesday is the latest in an ongoing clash between Ruffalo and Paramount. The potential acquisition, valued at $110 billion US, has been delayed until June 2027 after 12 U.S. state attorneys general sued to block it over anti-competition concerns.