Actor Mark Ruffalo did not merely criticize a business deal. In an August 22 Instagram post tying the Paramount-Skydance/Warner Bros. merger to Oracle’s work with Israel, Ruffalo claimed that the Ellison family — who are Jewish — were “powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world,” and framed a corporate transaction as built on “genocide” and “apartheid.” That is not policy criticism, but mischaracterization of civil rights for Jews and Arabs as racism, and the rescue of Jewish hostages as murder.

Nonetheless, more than 170 Jewish entertainment figures rushed to sign a letter dismissing the antisemitism charge as an “outrageous smear campaign.” To be certain, they are entitled to their ignorant and misguided views. They are not, however, entitled to be taken seriously when they engage in whitewashing antisemitism, or suggest that those with sufficient discernment to recognize the oldest of anti-Jewish tropes should deny the obvious.

America set itself apart from much of the world precisely by declaring hatred of Jews unwelcome, regardless of who dressed it up as righteousness. Mr. Ruffalo would do well to remember that he owes much of his career to the Founding Fathers who made America so hospitable, and the Jews who fled persecution in Europe to build new homes for their children in a friendlier land. It is some of those children, working in New York in the early twentieth century, who created Marvel Comics and invented The Incredible Hulk.

Photo: Mark Ruffalo by Greg2600, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FIRST ON FOX — A rabbinic group is calling out some Jewish entertainers for “whitewashing antisemitism” by supporting actor Mark Ruffalo after his harsh opposition to the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount merger.

More than 170 Jewish entertainers and artists signed a letter Tuesday “proudly” voicing support for Ruffalo after he was accused of antisemitism when criticizing the proposed $111 billion merger.

Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, said it typically does not respond when a Hollywood figure says something it finds hateful about Jews or Israel. But the group believes Ruffalo’s comments forced a group of Jewish Hollywood figures that have “little knowledge of Jewish history or the nature of antisemitism” to “deny obvious bigotry.”

“Ruffalo did not merely criticize a business deal. In an August 22 Instagram post tying the Paramount-Skydance/Warner Bros. merger to Oracle’s work with Israel, Ruffalo claimed that the Ellison family — who are Jewish — were ‘powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world,’ and framed a corporate transaction as built on ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid.’ That is not policy criticism, but mischaracterization of civil rights for Jews and Arabs as racism, and the rescue of Jewish hostages as murder,” the Coalition for Jewish Values said in a statement.

“Nonetheless, more than 170 Jewish entertainment figures rushed to sign a letter dismissing the antisemitism charge as an ‘outrageous smear campaign.’ To be certain, they are entitled to their ignorant and misguided views,” the statement continued. “They are not, however, entitled to be taken seriously when they engage in whitewashing antisemitism, or suggest that those with sufficient discernment to recognize the oldest of anti-Jewish tropes should deny the obvious.”

The group said that “America set itself apart from much of the world precisely by declaring hatred of Jews unwelcome, regardless of who dressed it up as righteousness,” and feels “Ruffalo would do well to remember that he owes much of his career to the Founding Fathers who made America so hospitable, and the Jews who fled persecution in Europe to build new homes for their children in a friendlier land.”

“It is some of those children, working in New York in the early 20th century, who created Marvel Comics and invented The Incredible Hulk,” the group said.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, told Fox News Digital that Ruffalo’s remarks were “embarrassing” and that Ruffalo presented a “mythical inversion” of the situation in the Middle East.

Ruffalo was accused of invoking “antisemitic tropes” by Paramount after the Marvel star shared a video from August of Safra Catz, an Oracle executive vice chair and Paramount board member, discussing technology Oracle used to assist Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

He linked Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, to financing behind the proposed acquisition and suggested the merger would be used to push “oppression.”

“These ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you,” Ruffalo said. “Look how she revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”

Among the Jewish artists who signed the letter were 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, denied Ruffalo‘s comments were antisemitic, arguing that the executives Ruffalo criticized had “themselves have explicitly linked to their support for the ongoing depredations being visited on the people of Palestine and their silencing of critics of those horrors.”

The celebrities also argued that a majority of American Jews now believe that Israel committed war crimes against Gaza, with a significant portion believing Israel is guilty of genocide. They called for an end to “spurious charges of antisemitism” against people like Ruffalo.

Ruffalo previously denied pushing antisemitism in a statement to Fox News Digital after Paramount’s original condemnation.

“The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” Ruffalo said. “Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people.”

The proposed transaction would place CNN, HBO and Warner Bros. studio assets under the Ellison family’s control. A coalition of 12 state attorneys general sued to block it on antitrust grounds, and the companies agreed not to close until five days after a court ruling on the merits or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ruffalo’s representatives for additional comment.

Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick and CJ Womack contributed to this report.

Photo: Mark Ruffalo by Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

SURFSIDE (VINnews) — Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds joined local elected officials, community leaders and residents Monday for a “Bagels with Byron” event at Café Vert.

Bryan Leib hosted the informal gathering, which drew five mayors, three police chiefs, four rabbis and other activists. Leib said the meeting highlighted collective community efforts rather than any single individual.

Among those attending were Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger, Bal Harbour Mayor Seth Salver, Bay Harbor Islands Mayor Isaac Salver, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner and Sunny Isles Beach Mayor Larisa Svechin. Aventura Commissioners Gustavo Blachman and Paul Kruss also participated, as did Commissioner David Weingot.

Rabbis Lipskar, Matz, Parnes and Rosenfeld were present, along with community figures including Tila Falic Levi, Gabe Groisman, Jared Firestone, Ilan Sinelnikov, Robert Rosenfeld, Nadav Alkoby, Adam Thompson, Gila Brand Stern, Jonathan Greenwald, Martin Karp, Andre Roitman and Dovid Teles.

The stop was part of Donalds’ ongoing Bagels with Byron series. Leib and others framed the event as a show of local unity under the slogan “Keep Florida Free.”

Photo courtesy of VINnews.com

On Friday night, Aug. 14, a man allegedly hit a 63-year-old woman and spat upon and heat-butted a 65-year-old security guard at Central Synagogue, a Reform congregation in Manhattan. Two days later, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani began a weeklong “planned vacation with his family in upstate New York,” according to City Hall.

JNS asked Jewish leaders in the city whether they thought that the mayor, who has been widely accused of fanning the flames of Jew-hatred, ought to have canceled his vacation to stand with Jewish New Yorkers after the attack at the synagogue and less than a month after a visibly Jewish man was stabbed near an Upper West Side synagogue by a man who, witnesses say, yelled “Allahu akbar.”

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, founding executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, told JNS that the question is not if Mamdani should be taking a weeklong vacation, but “how soon he will retire or be retired.”

“Hateful violence starts from hateful incitement, and he has been inciting violence against our community since long before he took office,” he said.

Read the full article at JNS

Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, warned that the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America within the Democratic Party endangers the American Dream and the nation’s future.

In a Fox News appearance on Monday, Menken described the DSA as a dangerous movement whose ideology and recent actions pose a serious threat to core American values and the country’s long-term stability.

Menken has previously labeled the DSA “objectively antisemitic.” He issued that characterization after DSA co-chair Megan Romer told The New Yorker that the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel were “largely inevitable,” remarks that drew widespread condemnation from pro-Israel organizations.

The Coalition for Jewish Values is the largest rabbinic public-policy organization in the United States. Menken’s comments come amid heightened concerns in Jewish communities about the DSA’s expanding political footprint and its positions on Israel and related issues.

Photo: Rabbi Yaakov Menken, courtesy of Coalition for Jewish Values

BALTIMORE (VINnews)— The Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents more than 2,500 traditional Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, announced Monday the appointment of former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Irit Tratt to its Advisory Board, along with three new professional staff members.

Friedman, who served as ambassador during the Trump administration and worked to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance, said he was proud to join the board.

“CJV represents a unique voice in public policy, articulating Jewish values with clarity and authenticity,” Friedman said. “I believe what they are doing is critical for America’s future, and I am proud to join its Advisory Board.”

Also joining the Advisory Board is Irit Tratt, a national board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition and a board member of the Jerusalem News Syndicate and the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. She also serves on the steering committee of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

“At this pivotal moment for Jews in America and around the world, principled leadership is essential,” Tratt said. “I am proud to join the CJV Board and to help advance an agenda rooted in traditional Jewish values, moral clarity and an unwavering commitment to Israel.”

The organization also named Isabella Brannon as director of legal affairs, Shaya Gedz as director of federal affairs and Rabbi Meir Levin as director of external relations.

“These appointments represent an important step forward for CJV as we expand our national presence and strengthen our ability to advocate for Jewish values and the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Yaakov Menken, CJV’s executive vice president. “Our new staff bring valuable experience, energy and commitment to our work, while Ambassador Friedman and others are now offering their extraordinary insight and leadership to our Advisory Board. At a time of rising antisemitism and growing hostility toward both Israel and Jewish values, their voices and counsel will be invaluable.”

Photo: U.S. Department of State, public domain.

“CJV represents a unique voice in public policy, articulating Jewish values with clarity and authenticity,” said Ambassador Friedman, who played a key role advancing human rights and the cause of peace during his time as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, as well as deepening the U.S.-Israel alliance. “I believe what they are doing is critical for America’s future, and I am proud to join its Advisory Board.”

By joining the CJV Advisory Board, Amb. Friedman recognized CJV’s advancement as one of the leading voices for authentic Jewish values in the public policy sphere. This growth was cemented over the summer with three new staff entering key positions: Isabella Brannon as Director of Legal Affairs, Shaya Gedz as Director of Federal Affairs, and Rabbi Meir Levin as Director of External Relations.

“These appointments represent an important step forward for CJV as we expand our national presence and strengthen our ability to advocate for Jewish values and the Jewish community,” said CJV Executive Vice President Rabbi Yaakov Menken. “Our new staff bring valuable experience, energy and commitment to our work, while Ambassador Friedman and others are now offering their extraordinary insight and leadership to our Advisory Board. At a time of rising antisemitism and growing hostility toward both Israel and Jewish values, their voices and counsel will be invaluable.”

Also joining the Advisory Board is Mrs. Irit Tratt, a National Board Member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and a Board Member of Jerusalem News Syndicate and the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), who also serves on the Steering Committee of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. “At this pivotal moment for Jews in America and around the world, principled leadership is essential,” said Mrs. Tratt. “I am proud to join the CJV Board and to help advance an agenda rooted in traditional Jewish values, moral clarity and an unwavering commitment to Israel.”

Photo: Amb. David Friedman, U.S. Department of State

The co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) group is receiving sharp backlash for saying on Friday that the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre in Israel was mostly “inevitable.”

During an interview with The New Yorker’s David Remnick, DSA co-chair Megan Romer was questioned about democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who attended an anti-Israel, pro-Hamas rally the day after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in 2023, and was pressed on whether she would have attended if she were in her position.

“I think that Oct. 7 was largely inevitable,” she replied. “If you put people in an open-air concentration camp and you deprive them of rights, of dignity, of food, of the ability to live in safety, you have to expect that they are going to not take that for that long. And that is not defending any harm of civilians or of non-combatants —”

Pro-Israel groups condemned her comments.

Executive Vice President for Coalition for Jewish Values, Rabbi Yaakov Menken, called the DSA “objectively antisemitic.”

“She used a mythological inversion of reality to justify both a murderous pogrom and an ongoing plan of starvation, torture, rape, and murder,” Menken said.

Read the full article at Fox News

Also published in Yahoo News.

Photo: Screenshot of Megan Romer interview.