‘NO to ethnic cleansing’: Hundreds of US rabbis, Jewish celebs slam Trump’s Gaza plan
Actor Joaquin Phoenix, screenwriter Tony Kushner, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum among prominent Jews who signed full-page NYT ad assailing US president’s call to relocate Gazans
JTA — Dozens of Jewish celebrities and artists, as well as hundreds of rabbis, took out a full-page ad in The New York Times Thursday to object to what they called ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
The ad was a response to US President Donald Trump’s plan to permanently relocate the entire population of Gaza, first announced on February 4 during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
This week, Trump said in a Fox News interview that Palestinians from Gaza would not have a right to return to the territory after it is rebuilt, “because they’re going to have much better housing… I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”
The brief text of the New York Times ad, on page A7, reads, “Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say NO to ethnic cleansing!”
The lead signatories are dozens of Jewish actors, artists and public figures, including Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings Summer and Rain, Ilana Glazer, Eric André, Morgan Spector, Tony Kushner, Jonathan Glazer, Larry Charles, Naomi Klein, Peter Beinart, Tavi Gevison and Wallace Shawn. Many on the list have previously spoken out publicly in support of the Palestinians.
The public figures are followed by a list of hundreds of rabbis. That roster includes both a who’s-who of Jewish left-wing activism and the names of prominent liberal pulpit rabbis across the country. Many have been vocal in their support for Israel after October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a thousands-strong attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw some 251 taken hostage, sparking the war in Gaza.
350 rabbis took out this full-page ad in @nytimes today opposing Trump’s plans for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza.
➡️ Add your voice to theirs, go to https://t.co/oMAz1jaMnZ
➡️ Go to https://t.co/v6qeZNhPQi#SayNoToEthnicCleansing #GazaIsNotForSale pic.twitter.com/HwRG7jWz0r
— Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (@JFREJNYC) February 13, 2025
The rabbis’ list includes Sharon Brous, Amichai Lau-Lavie, Amy Eilberg, Sally Priesand, Elyse Wechterman, Dan Wolpe, Jill Jacobs, Alissa Wise, Brant Rosen, Francine Roston, Lizzi Heydemann, Roly Matalon, Susan Talve and Sharon Kleinbaum.
The ad’s website says donations from the project go to the In Our Name Campaign, an initiative founded by Jews in philanthropy who sought to raise $10 million for “organizations that support Palestinian-led efforts to build safety, dignity, and self-determination in Palestine” as well as pro-Palestinian organizing in the United States.
Since Trump first proposed depopulating Gaza, a range of liberal Jewish groups have objected to the plan. His proposals for the territory have drawn sharp backlash globally and some skepticism within his party. Right-wing Jewish groups, as well as Netanyahu and his government, have welcomed the idea.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
