We — the undersigned artists and entertainment industry executives — are deeply disappointed that Lorde canceled her show in Tel Aviv after receiving pressure from the radical boycott Israel movement. Artists should never become beholden to the political views of a small but loud minority.
The boycott movement, while often painting itself as a movement for human rights, is actually a political movement ultimately aiming to extinguish the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people. Ignoring the many flaws in the other countries on Lorde’s world tour (including the US, the UK, and Russia), the movement singled out Israel — and only Israel — for a boycott.
Over the past several years, many artists have come under the same pressure Lorde faced from this boycott group over the past week. Some have canceled their shows, but the vast majority — many hundreds, in fact — have stood strong. Recently, several artists have spoken out loudly and forcefully against the divisive, polarizing, and dictatorial nature of the boycott Israel movement.
“All of this creates divisive energy,” Thom Yorke of Radiohead said in June in response to the pressure he was receiving from boycott groups. “You’re not bringing people together. You’re not encouraging dialogue or a sense of understanding.”
The boycott movement is certainly not encouraging real dialogue or a sense of understanding. In fact, they are doing the exact opposite. The boycott movement has come out as a strong opponent of real dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, even going so far as to denounce projects that work to bring young Israelis and Palestinians together through music.
“The kind of dialogue that they want to engage in is one that’s black or white,” Thom said. “I have a problem with that.”
Indeed, the entire narrative and worldview of the anti-Israel boycott movement is one that’s black or white, with no room for the shades of grey inherent in the immensely complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In their view, Israel is wrong and that’s the end of the story. As reasonable people realize, however, it is not quite that simple.
Artists are given a choice by boycott activists; either accept the entirety of the boycott narrative, which includes shockingly extreme and false accusations against Israel utilizing inflammatory language such as “apartheid” and “genocide,” and even comparing Israel’s actions to that of Nazi Germany, or become a target of relentless pressure and bullying.
“It suddenly became very important to make a stand against those people that are trying to shut down musicians, to bully musicians, to censor musicians, and to silence musicians,” Nick Cave said recently about his decision to perform in Israel in the face of boycott wrath.
Lorde became the target of that wrath, and we’re deeply disappointed that rather than rebuff the boycott movement and follow in the footsteps of Radiohead, Nick Cave, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, and many other artists who have chosen to build #BridgesNotBoycotts, she canceled her show.
We, the undersigned, and the more than thirty thousand people who have signed our anti-boycott petition, will continue to work for a more peaceful future for Palestinians, Israelis, and the entire region. We truly believe that art and music can and should be part of the solution.
Jason Adelman, head of brand strategy and business development, Habana Avenue
Orly Adelson, president of Orly Adelson Productions
Marty Adelstein, CEO of Tomorrow Studios
Craig Balsam, co-founder of Razor & Tie Entertainment
Richard Baskind, partner and head of music at Simons Muirhead & Burton
Aton Ben-Horin, global head of A&R a Warner Music Group
Steven Bensusan, president of Blue Note Entertainment Group
Adam Berkowitz, co-head of the television department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Josh Binder, Davis Shapiro & Lewit LLP
David Byrnes, partner of Ziffren, Brittenham, LLP
Civia Caroline, president of Clic Entertainment
Josh Deutsch, chairman/CEO of Downtown Records
David Draiman, musician
Craig Emanuel, partner of Loeb & Loeb LLP
Ron Fair, record producer and former chief creative officer and executive vp of Virgin Americans
Marc Fineman, founder and CEO of FINE
Erica Forster, vp of music partnerships at DanceOn
Gary Foster, principal of Krasnoff Foster Productions
Andrew Genger, Red Light Entertainment
Gary Gersh, president of global talent at AEG Presents
Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group
Gary Ginsberg, executive vice president of corporate marketing and communications of Time Warner Inc.
Daniel Glass, president and founder of Glassnote Entertainment Group
David Glick, founder and CEO of Edge Group
Andrew Gould
Trudy Green, Trudy Green Management/HK Management
Larry Katz, entertainment attorney
Zach Katz, chief creative officer of BMG Chrysalis, North America
Amanda Kogan, WME
Rick Krim, west coast president of Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Colin Lester, CEO of JEM Artists
David Levy, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME)
David Lonner, CEO of Oasis Media Group
Ben Maddahi, president of Unrestricted
Scott Packman, esquire
Donald S. Passman, partner of Gang, Tyre, Ramer, and Brown, Inc.
Dean Raise, manager at C3 Presents
David Renzer, chairman of Spirit Music Group and former chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group
Hanna Rochelle, founder and president of Lyric Culture
Rick Rosen, head of the television department at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME)
Steve Schnur, worldwide executive and music president of Electronic Arts
Sam Schwartz, co-principal of Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency
Ben Silverman, chairman and co-chief executive officer of Propagate Content
Ralph Simon, chairman & chief executive officer of Mobilium Global Limited
Jeff Sosnow, SVP artist and reportoire at Warner Music Group
Gary Stiffelman, partner of Greenberg Traurig LLP
Aaron Symonds, film composer
Traci Szymanski, president of Co-Star Entertainment/Isrealife Media Group
Adam Taylor, president of APM Music.
Sharon Tal Yguado, head of event series at Amazon
Please note that all organizations are listed for affiliation only.
Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center – More than 200 people attended the LA premiere of the documentary “Wish You Weren’t Here,” hosted by Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
The film, by filmmaker and New York Times #1 best-selling author Ian Halperin, examines the actions and motivations of former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, a major supporter of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, in the context of the troubling rise in global anti-Semitism.
The film features interviews with leading figures including celebrated lawyer Alan Dershowitz, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder, and CCFP co-founder and chairman/CEO of Spirit Music Group, David Renzer.
Following the screening, a panel of influential Hollywood executives held a Q&A. Panelists included: David Renzer; Rick Rosen, WME Founding Partner and Head of Television; David Lande, Esq., entertainment attorney with Ziffren Bittenham; and filmmaker Ian Halperin. It was moderated by Moriah Films writer/director and Academy Award® winner Richard Trank. In attendance was Howard Rosenman, producer of the film, Call Me By Your Name.
Capturing the theme of the evening and the importance of ending the cultural boycott of Israel, David Renzer stated during the panel, “We as the creative community are here to support our artists and to support the idea of art and culture…This isn’t about politics. This is about culture and arts, and that’s the message we have to remember…This is about the power that art, music, and culture have to be healing in this time when we need it more than ever.”
Together, the panelists have dealt with boycott related issues for Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Scarlett Johansson, and many other high-profile artists.The full Q&A can be viewed here. Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) is an organization comprised of prominent members of the entertainment industry who promote the arts as a means to peace, support artistic freedom, and counter the cultural boycott of Israel. We understand the power that our music, our films, our television shows, and all arts have. We encourage artists to participate, rather than to shun, to express rather than to suppress. If anything, turn up the music, expose our art to wider audiences, and encourage people from all cultures to interact, communicate and inspire peace and understanding.
www.creativecommunityforpeace.com
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is a global human rights organization researching the Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context. The Center confronts anti-Semitism, hate and terrorism, promotes human rights and dignity, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations. With a constituency of over 400,000 households in the United States, it is accredited as an NGO at international organizations including the United Nations, UNESCO, OSCE, Organization of American States (OAS), the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) and the Council of Europe. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Simon Wiesenthal Center maintains offices in New York, Toronto, Miami, Chicago, Paris, Buenos Aires, and Jerusalem.www.wiesenthal.com
By Simon Johnson, Jewish Telegraph
As a teenager in Bury in the 1980’s, it was almost obligatory to be a fan of The Smiths. From the moment that the first thrilling chords of “What Difference does it make” rolled across the school common room, I was a fan. And if you were a fan of The Smiths, then you came to know well the idiosyncrasies and utterances of their lead singer, Morrissey.
Through his equally successful solo career after The Smiths, Morrissey has luxuriated in his idiosyncratic attitudes and contrary comments. Those of us who are fans are well used to these and take them with a grain of salt, as evidence of Morrissey’s individual world view. In the last two weeks, though, his contrariness in relation to Israel has exposed him to the wrath of the “Boycotteers”- three ageing entertainers- Roger Waters, Brian Eno and Ken Loach- of whom, more later.
Morrissey, in recent years, has become a fan of Israel. He has played there a number of times and was shown enthusiastically performing whilst draped in an Israeli flag. It clearly had an impact on his creativity as two tracks on his new solo album are inspired by his experiences- They are called “Israel”and “The girl from Tel Aviv who would not kneel”. He has taken on the Boycotteers in the public arena, and stuck to his guns in playing in Israel.
He is not the only one. In recent weeks and months, there has been a stream of artists thumbing their noses at the Boycotteers and playing in Israel.
When I returned from Israel on business earlier this month, I discovered, whilst at Baggage Reclaim, that I had returned on the same flight as Boy George and Culture Club, who had just played an hugely successful gig in Israel. In the last couple of weeks, Nick Cave performed in Israel, and earlier in the summer, Radiohead played a series of dates.
There are, of course, many artists who play in Israel. I have drawn attention to these four artists since their decision to play in Israel stirred the ancient slumbering forms of The Boycotteers- Messrs Waters, Eno and Loach- whose wrath has been incurred. They have engaged in public attacks on the artists, and are beginning to realise that their world view, expounding cultural boycotts of Israel, is not necessarily shared by Artists in the generation below them.
You see, the Boycotteers do not like Artists to play in Israel. They advocate a cultural boycott of Israel and display churlish indignation when an artist does not heed their tiresome and predictable calls for a boycott.
Messrs Waters, Eno and Loach are stuck fighting the ideological battles of the 1970’s. Their concern for the plight of the Palestinian people has prompted them to reach into the radical’s box of tricks from the 1970’s. They have a misty eyed recollection of their battles against Apartheid in South Africa. And because, in their particular view of the world, Israel displays similar behaviour, then the old tactics of boycotts and isolation, can be dusted off and applied to Israel.
They use the Left’s favoured euphemistic sophistry, and describe this as a question of human rights. They think that boycotting and isolating the Israeli people is the only way to make the Israeli Government change their policies.
The problem for the Boycotteers, though, is that the next generation of artists do not see things through the same foggy and cracked lenses. There is a growing generation of artists who believe that culture can be used to build bridges, rather than create division.
So, the Boycotteers lash out publicly at any Artist who dares to disagree with them. Nick Cave is the latest to have felt the public wrath of Roger Waters. But Culture Club got the same. And, in the summer, Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, also hit back at a public rebuke from the Boycotteers. These recent exchanges have set out clearly the difference of perspective of those who see Boycotts as a means of effecting change and those who reject boycotts as only sowing division.
Morrissey, Nick Cave, Culture Club and Radiohead know that to play in a country does not signify agreement with the Government of that country. Artists have tremendous power. Any of these artists could use the freedom of speech which Israel affords to level bitter criticism at the Government if they wanted. This is their right. I recall one of my favourite bands, REM, being so upset at the direction of US Government policy, that they wrote the song “Bad Day” and proceeded to play it around the US, the world and on prime time TV.
Increasing numbers of artists know that boycotts create division and do nothing to promote peace or coexistence. They realise that Israel is a thriving commercial market, with knowledgeable, passionate fans, and they increasingly want to play there. What they also realise is that playing in Israel actively affords them the right to put across their political views if they choose to do so. They also realise that boycotting a country is a blunt, tired instrument that does nothing to put across their political view.
The Boycotteers hate that they can not just snap their fingers and have younger artists meekly do what they say and boycott Israel. It is instructive to read their increasingly desperate “open letters” to artists such as Nick Cave. Their arguments are repetitive and one can sense their anger rising as they write with incredulity that an artist should not simply do what these “great” men say.
In fact, their efforts have been counterproductive. Nick Cave said that he was playing in Israel because of BDS. What a way of putting a metaphorical two fingers up at the Boycotteers.
The tide is turning. Waters, Eno and Loach are on the wrong side of this debate now. The superb work of groups like Culture for Coexistence and Creative Communities for Peace is helping to cement the message that boycotts create division and it is only through cultural engagement that peace and cooexistence can be fostered.
Meanwhile, Morrissey is being abused on social media for his inclusion of songs about Israel on his album. My advice is, to have a listen to “Every Day is like Sunday”, and then get on social media and support him. Oh, and why not buy his album? It is not often that Israel and Tel Aviv are part of the titles of songs!
From the headlines he’s been making, it seems that former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters is becoming better known for his politics than for his music.
Take this week, for example, when German broadcasters made the decision not to air his concerts in Germany next summer following public backlash against his actions toward Israel, which are deemed by many to be anti-Semitic.
Waters is a vocal supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel in the cultural, academic, diplomatic, and economic arenas with the end goal of eliminating it as a state.
In support of this movement, which is often accused of hypocrisy and discrimination for singling out Israel — and only Israel — among all the countries of the world, Waters spends a great deal of time putting pressure on his colleagues within the music industry to cancel their upcoming concerts in Israel, often using extreme and inaccurate language to convince them to do so.
For instance, he has compared the actions of the Israeli government to those of Nazi Germany, saying that the parallels between what Israel is doing to the Palestinians today and what Germany did to the Jews in the 30s are “so crushingly obvious.”
Considering Nazi Germany engaged in a systematic campaign of genocide against the Jewish people which resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jews — a third of the entire Jewish population of the world — whereas Israel is in a complex political struggle with the Palestinians that, though it has resulted in far too many deaths on both sides, cannot objectively be viewed as anywhere near the Holocaust in terms of scale or purpose, this is generally considered nothing more than a completely false way to delegitimize the State of Israel and to turn the Jews into the ultimate villain.
He has also used classic anti-Semitic language about an all-powerful Jewish lobby, claiming that other musicians are afraid to oppose it out of fear for their careers.
This has lead the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — an organization which fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry — to declare in 2013 that “anti-Semitic conspiracy theories” have “seeped into the totality” of his views.
Many musicians who have found themselves the target of Roger Waters’ BDS pressure — including Thom Yorke, Nick Cave, Alan Parsons, and Dionne Warwick – have spoken out against him as well, accusing him of bullying and censorship.
Especially relevant after this week, the new documentary “Wish You Weren’t Here,” by #1 New York Times best-selling author Ian Halperin, examines the actions and motivations of Waters and the BDS movement in the context of the troubling rise in global anti-Semitism. On Tuesday December 5th, Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center will host a screening of the film at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
Following the screening, a panel of influential Hollywood executives, together with Mr. Halperin, will hold a Q&A. Other panelists will include: CCFP co-founder David Renzer, chairman/CEO of Spirit Music Group; Rick Rosen, WME Founding Partner and Head of Television; and David Lande, Esq., entertainment attorney with Ziffren Brittenham. It will be moderated by Moriah Films writer/director and Academy Award® winner Richard Trank.
The event, which is open to the public, is expected to attract many high-level entertainment industry executives. Anybody wishing to attend should RSVP at this link. For those who don’t live in the Los Angeles area, the event will be live streamed on our Facebook page.