There are two notable things about the Creative Community for Peace open letter.

1. It’s not some militant pro-Israel letter. It hits the low bar of condemning Hamas and asking people to tone down their rhetoric.

“We are deeply concerned by the escalating violence in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The loss of life and violence is heartbreaking. We call on the leaders of all parties to end the violence, urge calm, and work toward de-escalation.

We also call on our colleagues and friends in the entertainment community to stop posting misinformation and one-sided narratives that only work to inflame the conflict instead of bringing about peace.

While we may have differing opinions on the conflict, it is never okay for Hamas to publicly call for the killing of civilians, use civilians as human shields, and rain down missiles indiscriminately on civilian populations with no care about who is killed—Arab or Jew.

When lives are at stake, we all bear responsibility to unite rather than divide. Incendiary language only benefits those at the extremes who have no interest in peace. Our thoughts are with all Israelis and Palestinians who are experiencing unfathomable levels of fear and violence, and hope for the day when both peoples can live side by side in peace.”

This is about as middle-of-the-road or ‘pareve’ as you can get. And yet…

2. Almost no American Jewish celebrities have signed it. A number of American Jewish executives signed on, most notably Sherry Lansing, yet virtually no talent. No Spielberg, it goes without saying, Sacha Baron Cohen, who spends all his time ranting about Facebook didn’t sign on. 

It’s people like Noa Tishby, an Israeli actress who wrote a book defending Israel, and Elon Gold, an Orthodox Jewish comedian, and David Mazouz, who played Bruce Wayne on Gotham and has an Orthodox Jewish background, who are on board. 

Gene Simmons of KISS, who was born in Israel, and who has been long since past caring about cancel culture, signed on. 

The only American Jewish actress of any note who signed on is Selma Blair. 

In a pattern that ought to be familiar from the protests against the Holocaust, the open letter touts signatories who, like Michael Buble and Meghan McCain, are not Jewish. 

That raises the question of to what extent it’s cancel culture at work here with celebrities avoiding any kind of pro-Israel statement, even one as mild as this, and to what extent it’s the self-hating and self-abasing nature of too many secular American Jews.