An entertainment industry group that includes Hollywood producers Haim Saban, Lawrence Bender and Teddy Schwarzman has released a statement condemning the alleged “antisemitic tropes” underpinning Mark Ruffalo‘s opposition to Paramount’s leadership amid its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
The statement comes from a group calling itself The Brigade, which describes itself as “a group of nearly 1,000 members, friends, and allies of the Jewish community who are proud to be working in film, television, music, Broadway, social and digital, and other platforms in and around the entertainment industry.”
As well as Power Rangers media mogul Saban, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction producer Bender and Black Bear founder and CEO Schwarzman, the Brigade includes amongst its ranks Ram Bergman, Matti Leshem, Anthony Bregman, Micah Green and Lynn Harris.
The Brigade’s statement comes in the wake of Ruffalo’s Aug. 21 Instagram post that spotlighted Oracle’s ties to the Israeli military — specifically a viral clip of former Oracle CEO Safra Catz at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024 as it related to Israel’s war effort in Gaza.
“Singling out Jewish executives and describing them in terms lifted from centuries-old antisemitic conspiracy theories, while invoking Israel as the frame for that attack, is antisemitic,” reads the statement. “It is unacceptable to introduce Jews, antizionism, or antisemitism into conversations about business transactions, simply because those involved are Jewish.”
