In letter distributed to major U.S. film industry leaders, Brandeis Center cautions boycott will not only constitute unlawful discrimination, but will also jeopardize studios’ eligibility for film tax credit status Washington, D.C. (October 1, 2025) – Today, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law distributed a letter to major U.S. film industry organizations cautioning that the recent “Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity” (aka “The Hollywood Blacklist”) violates federal and state civil rights laws and marginalizes Jewish and Israeli voices in entertainment. In a clear display of illegal anti-Semitic discrimination, the pledge, circulated by Film Workers for Palestine, commits signatories not to screen, appear at, or work with Israeli film institutions. The Brandeis Center letter—sent to all the major studios, distributors, platforms, talent agencies, and film festivals, including Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Netflix, Amazon, MGM Studios, and Apple Studios—warns that participation in the Hollywood Blacklist, a sweeping demand that Hollywood professionals use their leverage to blacklist an entire national cinema—its artists, companies, and institutions—because they are Israeli, will result in legal consequences and expose executives and organizations to liabilities associated with the unlawful boycott. The letter further explains that the pledge disproportionately targets Jewish Israelis and alleges clear and blatant discrimination against non-Palestinian Israelis on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, and/or religion. This discriminatory pledge, while claiming to only target Israeli institutions deemed “complicit” in denying Palestinian rights, and not individuals, is in practice a distinction without a difference. Under the Blacklist’s guidelines, all but “a few” Israeli film institution are deemed complicit. And these institutions are run and staffed by individuals, ultimately resulting in the exclusion of Jews and Israelis from full participation in the industry. ”Boycotting Jews isn’t an original idea, or, thankfully, a legal one in the United States of America,” said Rory Lancman, Director of Corporate Initiatives and Senior Counsel at the Brandeis Center. “We caution Hollywood decision makers against submitting to pressure to effectuate this blatantly illegal blacklist of Jewish Israeli artists and institutions. As we say in our letter, we much prefer to see their work on the screen, and not them in court.” The Brandeis Center cited numerous federal, California, and New York civil rights statutes that prohibit refusing to contract based on religion, ethnicity, and national origin, including the federal Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1964, California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act, and New York’s Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law. Both California and New York specifically outlaw discriminatory boycotts and blacklists. The Brandeis Center works extensively to combat anti-Semitism in the workplace, including defending the rights of Jewish and Israeli artists, union members, tech workers, and faculty members.