Israel’s Detractors Must Stop Politicizing Art

Commentary: Israel’s Detractors Must Stop Politicizing Art

Alicia Keys was absolutely right to ignore detractors and perform in Israel.

By Ben Silverman

I would like to congratulate Alicia Keys on her sold out concert in Israel on July 4 where she brought a message of love to a region continuously looking for peace. While July 4 was a night of celebration, the weeks and months leading up to the her performance in Israel were very difficult for the iconic artist.

Unfortunately, there is a current movement afoot to politicize art. Israel’s detractors are attempting to use the influence of artists and pop icons like Keys as a powerful tool to spread false allegations about Israel. When artists announce a performance in Israel, anti-Israel boycott groups spread misinformation about the Jewish state through social media and pressure artists to cancel their trips. Perhaps the most emotionally charged allegation is the charge of apartheid made by boycott supporters, such as author Alice Walker, who falsely compare Israel to pre-1994 South Africa.

I have spent time in Israel. I know Israel and I agree with the great Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “Israel is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world.” The country has a diverse population, where women, gays, Arabs, Muslims, Christians and all minorities have equal rights, and Arabs serve in the Israeli parliament and the Supreme Court. Citizens of all ethnicities mingle openly in public arenas, sit side-by-side in restaurants and are free to speak their minds and vote their consciences.

The recently crowned Miss Israel is from Ethiopia, which is an indication of Israel’s multicultural society and a celebration of its diverse identity. Allegations of apartheid in Israel or that concerts in Israel are segregated are not only false but they diminish the real human suffering of those times.

Further, there is certainly a note of hypocrisy in critics singling out Israel for criticism while ignoring the well documented human-rights issues of Israel’s neighboring countries. Yet human-rights groups do not encourage artist boycotts in these countries.

Music is an opportunity for artists of all colors, faiths and beliefs to lead the world toward peace. Hundreds of artists perform in Israel annually, refusing to allow the noise of boycott activists to drown out the melodies of freedom and the voices of change. Before the concert, a poll conducted by BET.com asked its readers “Should Alicia Keys Perform in Israel?” The majority of respondents said yes.

“I look forward to my first visit to Israel. Music is a universal language that is meant to unify audiences in peace and love, and that is the spirit of our show,” Alicia Keys said an interview with the New York Times. Alicia Keys took a stand and her fans followed.

I am proud to be an advisory board member of Creative Community for Peace, an organization that brings together entertainment executives who seek to balance the misinformation artists and their fans see on social media and present an accurate image of Israel. We believe in the power of music and culture to build bridges and we encourage artists to visit Israel and see for themselves that it is a vibrant democracy with extraordinary culture, daily debate and profound desire for ongoing peace. Music gives an artist the opportunity to be an ambassador for peace, spreading messages of hope and love. It should not be silenced.

Ben Silverman is the founder and chairman of Electus and former co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. He is also an advisory board member of the Creative Community for Peace.

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of BET Networks.

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(Photo: WENN.com)

http://www.bet.com/news/global/2013/07/29/commentary-israel-s-detractors-must-stop-politicizing-art.html

CCFP Staff In Cultural Boycott

Top Level Executives Sign Open Letter to Alice Walker

June 11, 2013

Open Letter:

As advisory board members of the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), an organization that believes in the power of art and music to build bridges and foster understanding, we are saddened by Alice Walker’s misleading statements about Israel in a recent open letter to Alicia Keys. In this letter, Ms. Walker makes inflammatory claims that Israel is an apartheid state and makes false comparisons of the Jewish state and the pre-civil rights American South.

Unfortunately, Ms. Walker fails to recognize that Israel is a democratic country with a diverse population, where women, Arabs, Muslims, Christians and all minorities have equal rights; a nation where art and freedom of expression flourish. Citizens of all ethnicities mingle openly in public arenas, sit side-by-side in restaurants and are free to speak their minds and vote their consciences. The recently crowned Miss Israel is from Ethiopia. In apartheid South Africa or the pre-civil rights American South, that would have been unheard of.

The great Martin Luther King Jr. had this to say this about Israel: “Israel is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.”

False comparisons of Israel to apartheid South Africa and the pre-civil rights American South diminish the real human suffering of those times. South African Member of Parliament Dr. Kenneth Meshoe, who grew up in apartheid South Africa knows the tyranny of oppression, wrote the following in his May 15 op-ed in the San Francisco Examiner.

“As a black South African who lived under apartheid, this system was implemented in South Africa to subjugate people of color and deny them a variety of their rights. In my view, Israel cannot be compared to apartheid in South Africa. Those who make the accusation expose their ignorance of what apartheid really is… Israel is a model of democracy, inclusion and pluralism that can be emulated by many nations, particularly in the Middle East.” Read more

The many artists who have proudly performed in Israel include Rihanna, Erykah Badu, Missy Elliot, Madonna, Ziggy Marley, Paul McCartney, John Lee Hooker, Bobby McFerrin, the Black Eyed Peas, Seal, Akon, Steve Aoki, Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Regina Carter, McCoy Tyner, Courtney Pine, Sean Kingston, Henry Grimes, Al Foster, Gene Perry and Meshell Ndegeocello, to name just a few.

CCFP wishes for a resolution to the complicated Palestinian-Israeli peace process, but, unlike Alice Walker and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, we believe that a call for a cultural boycott of Israel while ignoring the many well-documented and ongoing human rights violations of Israel’s neighbors is disingenuous.

We support Alicia Keys and echo her message that the universal language of art and music has the power to “unify audiences in peace and love.” We also applaud Ms. Keys and the hundreds of international artists who perform in Israel each year. They are using the power of their music to build bridges and open communication and are learning more about the region for themselves.

Over 18,000 people from around the globe have expressed their support and signed our petition [PETITION] urging all artists to keep their concert dates and play for peace in Israel. We ask all those who support peace to join with the Creative Community for Peace and encourage people to use the power of culture and music to interact and build greater dialogue and understanding.

Respectfully yours,

Please note that all board member organizations are listed for affiliation only.

Craig Balsam

Advisory Board Member, Creative Community for Peace

Co-founder Razor & Tie Entertainment