Some Jewish celebs demand sanctions on Israel: ‘Ceasefire must be beginning, not the end’

Peter Beinart, Ilana Glazer, Avraham Burg among those who sign on to ‘Jews Demand Action’ letter to UN chief calling for ‘an end of occupation and apartheid’

By Grace Gilson 22 October 2025, 5:20 pm

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US actresses Ilana Glazer (left) and Hannah Einbinder, both of whom signed onto the 'Jews Demand Action' letter calling for sanctions against Israel in Octobewr 2025, in undated photos. (John Nacion/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images via JTA)

JTA — As the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas enters its second week, prominent Jews from around the world who have criticized Israel throughout the war have now signed onto a letter urging global leaders to ensure that the deal results in a “new era of peace and justice for all.”

The letter, which was addressed to António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, and world leaders, also demands that Israel be held to account for “grievous violations of international law.”

“It was international pressure that helped to secure this ceasefire, and it must be sustained to guarantee that it endures. The ceasefire must be the beginning, not the end,” the letter says. “The risk of reverting to a political reality of indifference to occupation and permanent conflict is too great. This same pressure must be continued to deliver a new era of peace and justice for all — Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

The letter, titled “Jews Demand Action,” was released on Wednesday as US Vice President JD Vance visits Israel, as the durability of the ceasefire deal is tested.

It was signed by a host of prominent Jewish celebrities and public figures, many of whom have been outspoken in their criticism of Israel since the beginning of its two-year war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

They include Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov, Emmy Award-winning actors Ilana Glazer and Hannah Einbinder, Canadian trauma guru Gabor Maté, and Oscar winners Jonathan Glazer and Yuval Avraham, who co-directed the documentary “No Other Land.”

Jonathan Glazer poses with the award for best international feature film for ‘The Zone of Interest,’ in the press room at the Oscars on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

The initiating signatories included American author and editor-at-large of Jewish Currents Peter Beinart; former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg; former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy; Libby Lenkinski, the former vice president for public engagement of the New Israel Fund; British activist Em Hilton, and former Belgian member of parliament Simone Susskind.

“We launched this initiative because the deeds of Israel’s government in Gaza have been an affront to collective Jewish consciousness worldwide,” Burg said in a statement. “Pressure from people mobilizing across the world, which led to leaders taking a stand, helped produce a ceasefire. Now international pressure must be sustained to end this cycle of violence and oppression once and for all.”

The letter also urges “businesses, labor unions, civil society” and the United Nations’ member states to take four steps: comply with decisions of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court — which issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year; impose sanctions and arms embargoes on Israel; ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza; and “refute false accusations of antisemitism.”

Some pro-Israel voices have characterized harsh criticism of Israel’s conduct during the war as antisemitic, and some of the signatories have taken that critique personally.

“We shall not rest until this ceasefire carries forward into an end of occupation and apartheid,” the letter continues. “We write in the hope that this initiative further emboldens a moment of renewed Jewish commitment to act with conscience and compassion. We vow to work urgently to achieve equality, justice, and freedom for Palestinians and Israelis.”