More than 1,000 leaders from the literary and entertainment industries have signed an open letter released by the non-profit organisation Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) in support of freedom of expression and against discriminatory boycotts.
The letter responds to ongoing efforts to boycott, harass, and scapegoat Jewish and Israeli authors and literary institutions. Among the signatories are Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Booker Prize winners.
Booker Prize-winning author Howard Jacobson said: “Art is the antithesis of a political party. It is a meeting place, not an echo chamber. Art explores, discovers, differs, questions, and surprises. Precisely where a door should be forever open, the boycotters slam it closed.”
Recent calls to boycott Israeli literary institutions follow a year filled with efforts to demonise and ostracise Jewish authors worldwide. In the past year, bookstore appearances have been cancelled based on authors’ identities, and book readings have been shut down. Activists have publicised lists of “Zionist” authors to harass, and just last week, adverts for a book with ‘Israel’ in the title were rejected.
Author of the Jack Reacher novel series, Lee Child, said: “Politically targeting novelists, authors, and publishing houses based on their nationality is misguided. At a time when dialogue is paramount and when compromise can lead to peace, castigation and blanket boycotts are counterproductive. The written word, and the dissemination of it, must always be protected, especially in times of heightened tension. And to achieve peace, we must humanise one another and build bridges across communities through the open exchange of ideas. Literature allows for that. Boycotts hinder it.”
The letter highlights the unique role that writers and books play in society: “We believe that writers, authors, and books — along with the festivals that showcase them — bring people together, transcend boundaries, broaden awareness, open dialogue, and can effect positive change.” It continues, “We believe that anyone who works to subvert this spirit merely adds yet another roadblock to freedom, justice, equality, and peace that we all desperately desire.”
Actress and author Mayim Bialik said, “Harassing authors, cancelling bookstore appearances, and boycotting people based solely on their identity is disturbing and polarising in ways that cannot be dismissed or minimised. Attempts to dictate ‘who’ or ‘what’ should be published have nothing to do with any path to coexistence or peace. This kind of rhetoric encourages demonisation and hatred. As an author and as a creative, I believe in peace, I believe in humanity, and I believe in meaningful discourse. Silencing and sowing discord in this way reduces complex individuals to oversimplified caricatures, which only hardens existing hostility and makes the hope for peace inch farther away.”
Philosopher and author Bernard-Henri Lévy said: “I have always believed in the power of ideas and truth. I have always been in favour of debate, clash of opinions, even the confrontation of convictions. But what we have here is not a clash of opinions or a debate. Boycotting Israeli writers, publishers, and festivals is pure antisemitism – and it’s anti-democratic and dangerous. The goal of this boycott is the delegitimisation of the only Jewish state in the world — Israel. It is a moral obscenity and must be firmly condemned by all free-thinking and democratic citizens of the world.”
Author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore said: “The resort to witch hunt is always dangerous and ugly, especially when the inquisitors are writers. History is full of examples of self-righteous cadres of self-appointed judges who tried to enforce their version of purity by excluding people. Whatever one thinks of this tragic Middle Eastern war, who judges who is good, who bad? Once started, where would it stop? Who is pure enough?”
The statement is the first of its kind — a call from the literature and entertainment community to unequivocally voice support against boycott attempts based on identity or litmus test.
The letter states: “Regardless of one’s views on the current conflict, boycotts of creatives and creative institutions simply create more divisiveness and foment further hatred.” The letter concludes: “We call on our friends and colleagues worldwide to join us in expressing their support for Israeli and Jewish publishers, authors, and all book festivals, publishers, and literary agencies that refuse to capitulate to censorship based on identity or litmus tests.”
CCFP Executive Director Ari Ingel said, “Authors, writers, and literary groups have faced non-stop harassment by a dedicated group of illiberal activists since 7 October. This is not just about Israeli authors. This is a coordinated campaign to bully and threaten anyone who refuses to condemn Israel, which targets Jews and their allies worldwide. These boycott calls, now being led by members of the literary community themselves, are reminiscent of the 1933 boycott of Jewish authors, when antisemites burned over 25,000 books. The works of Jewish authors like Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, alongside American works by Ernest Hemingway and Helen Keller, were burned. This is where things are once again headed.”
