…than a Race Row.
The New Zealand singer Lorde has been accused in a full-page advertisement in the US press of anti-semitism by the American Rabbi Shmuley Boteach because she cancelled a concert in Tel Aviv following pressure from boycott groups and fans. Highlighting the singer’s hypocrisy concerning her refusal to play in Israel whilst proceeding with concerts in Russia, the Rabbi went on to accuse the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement of being anti-semitic. Although the demographics of Israel show that nearly 80% of the population are Jews (ethnically) – this does not mean that boycotting Israel is in anyway anti-Jew: the BDS boycott aims only to modify the governmental policy of Israel so that it complies with international law.
Conflating a boycott against Israeli government policy with a hatred of Jews is facile and inaccurate and potentially dangerous. By failing to correctly categorise actions, we risk misunderstanding them and thus being unable to properly react.
Rabbi Boteach ended by saying that there should be no tolerance for intolerance – the irony of his words seemingly passing unnoticed!!
Hello Rupert,
I am responding to your comments about the American Rabbi Shmuley Boteach criticising the New Zealand singer Lorde for cancelling a concert in Tel Aviv following pressure from boycott groups and fans. I want to point out that I am Jewish by upbringing and culture and feel so to my core although, technically, I am also an atheist. I agree entirely with you that connecting being anti-Israeli policies with being anti-Semitic is totally wrong. Although many people are both, sensible people do realise that there is a difference. I have a real problem with most of my Jewish friends in the Jewish community where I live because I am willing to publicly state how much I am against how Netanyahu is running Israel (or, maybe, I should have written “ruining” Israel). It is awful how the Palestinians are being treated. I believe that if things were left in the hands of moderate and non-ultra-orthodox members of both communities, a two-state solution in which both sides co-operated with each other would happen.