Hannah Einbinder Defends Mark Ruffalo After ‘Ludicrous’ Antisemitism Claim

Hannah Einbinder has thrown her support behind fellow actor Mark Ruffalo, after he was forced to deny allegations of antisemitism over his criticism of the alleged role that tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison’s Oracle played in the Israel-Gaza war.

Ruffalo has long been a vocal critic of the ongoing merger between the movie studios Warner Bros. and Paramount, and last week shared a clip to his Instagram account of former Oracle chief Safra Catz calling some of the company’s technology “profoundly scary” at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024, specifically referencing the company’s tech in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Ruffalo also called the conflict a “genocide” that “was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle”, the co-founder of which’s son, David Ellison, owns Paramount.

When Paramount responded to call the Marvel performer’s comments “antisemitic” – an accusation which he swiftly refuted – Ruffalo subsequently received the backing of Einbinder in an Instagram post.

“I’m so grateful that Mark Ruffalo drew a connection between the Ellisons providing military technology to Israel during a genocide and their unprecedented media takeover-and pointed out that this is a dangerous consolidation of power that could ultimately be used against us,” wrote Einbinder, who is Jewish, on Monday.

“The idea that he only said these things because the Ellisons are Jewish is ludicrous. Is it also antisemitic to point out that Safra Catz, the Oracle executive vice chair who boasted about the ‘profoundly scary technology’ provided to the IDF, also sits on Paramount’s board? Or that Larry Ellison has been buying favour with Trump by donating tens of millions to his political efforts for years? Or that he once offered Netanyahu a lucrative Oracle post?”

She continued: “This is criticism of RIGHT-WING technofeudalist oligarchs who are in the process of carrying out the largest media acquisition in history. Period end of story.

“People are not too stupid to see these obvious connections. If you want to make it about the Ellisons being Jewish, then you are the one being antisemitic.”

The Emmy winner added: “I’ll say it till I’m blue in the face: every time Zionists equate criticism of Israel, its genocide, or anyone who supports it to antisemitism, they rob the word of all of its meaning. For those of us who ACTUALLY care about Jewish safety, we want that word to mean something so that when Jews are actually in danger it’s taken seriously.

“And, as Mark has been saying for months, opposing this merger is also about fighting for the working class of Hollywood: the crews and other workers that we artists claim to care so much about, who could lose thousands of jobs if it goes through.”

Einbinder concluded: “All of us artists could stand to be more like Mark, willing to speak out for oppressed people everywhere, even when powerful people try to bully us into silence.

“Visibility is a responsibility. Those of us with a platform need to use our voices before speaking out is outlawed altogether.”

During an interview with HuffPost UK published over the weekend, Einbinder shared the importance of speaking out on issues close to her heart, including voicing her solidarity with Palestine in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“Unfortunately, I think we live in a culture that places a little too much – in fact, a lot too much – emphasis on celebrity,” she explained.

“And our voices are elevated – and people [pay more attention to] famous people than, frankly, people who deserve attention: academics and scientists and journalists and people who are screaming about the state of the world and not being heard.

“So, to me, it makes total and complete sense to try to work in messages that I think are important. I just think that there’s nothing more important than bringing awareness to the suffering in the world, and what we’re facing in America, and in the Middle East, and [globally] with the climate crisis.”

Einbinder added: “I really just hope that more people are vocal, because I see so many people with far more influence than I have, and I think of what they could do, and I think of the impact that it could have, and I just know that it would be so large and so appreciated by so many people.”

Ruffalo wrote on X over the weekend: “The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. Criticising the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticising Jewish people.

“This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel. To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect.”