October 25th, 2017, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) gave a concert & gala at Carnegie Hall. This was fantastic, yes?
Nope. These anti-Israel / anti-Zionist groups did not agree.
They organized ANOTHER anti-Israel protest outside Carnegie Hall aimed at de-legitimizing the State of Israel. AGAIN.
Each year, anti-Zionists return to protest the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra [IPO]. (For previous IPO Carnegie Hall protests, follow links to 2011 and 2012.)
Fortunately, their lies and hateful anti-Semitism did NOT go unchallenged.
The Jewish Defence League and other Zionists were there to “Stand Up For Israel”, to “Stop the lies” and “Stop the hate!”
AM YISRAEL CHAI!
Flickr slide show of both sides
Some anti-Israel protest chants compliments of Adalah NY and the other anti-Zionists.
Protest musical accompaniment- OUTSIDE Carnegie – was provided by the eponymous, Rude Mechanical Orchestra. Facebook.
Adalah, however, remains OFFENDED the IPO representing the State of Israel across the world. “Let the IPO know that apartheid is out of tune.”
“It (the IPO)”, says Adalah, “serves as a cultural ambassador for the State of Israel, playing a public role in the official Israeli propaganda campaign. Brand Israel uses art and music to distract attention from Israel’s human rights ‘abuses’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the ‘Palestinian’ people.”
Adalah claims that, “the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is not an apolitical cultural institution.”
“We (Adalah and other anti-Zionists) are responding to the call from ‘Palestinian’ civil society to boycott cultural institutions that are complicit in Israel’s ‘systematic repression’ of the Palestinian people living under Israeli ‘military occupation’ in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as unequal citizens in Israel or as refugees denied their right of return to their homeland.”
BTW- Adalah (the protest host for the evening) was connected in 2007 to the infamous Intifada NYC T-shirt .
Former Brooklyn Principal, Debbie Almontaser, defended the t-shirts, telling the NY Post that “intifada” meant “shaking off”, that the shirts represented women “shaking off” oppression. …. Peace be upon you ….
And now, the REAL STORY behind the Israel Philharmonic and its ORIGINS:
“Since its inception in 1936, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has been dedicated to presenting exceptional music to audiences in Israel and throughout the world. From its inaugural concert, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, world-renowned soloists and conductors have performed with the IPO.
On December 26, 1936, the Palestine Symphony played its first concert in Tel Aviv under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. A staunch anti-Fascist, the legendary conductor enthusiastically accepted Huberman’s request to join the Symphony as a demonstration against Nazism, declaring, “I am doing this for humanity.”
“The public reception to this inaugural performance was overwhelming, with crowds standing outside near the windows and even climbing on rooftops in an attempt to hear the Symphony. The ovation at the end of the night lasted over 30 minutes.”
“The IPO is Israel’s foremost cultural ambassador and travels throughout the world, particularly to countries where there is little or no Israeli representation. In some cases, performances of the IPO are the only example of Israel’s existence.”
“The goodwill created by these tours, which included historic visits to Japan, Argentina, Poland, Hungary, Russia, China and India, is of enormous value to the State of Israel.”
Unfortunately, the anti-Israel protests never stop; good-will be damned.
NEXT WEEK, on Thursday, November 2, I found two more anti-Israel events. FYI: November 2nd, 2017 marks the 100 year anniversary of the Balfour Declaration.
“At 5:30 pm, outside Israeli Embassy at 42nd St and 2nd Ave, a rally to “protest 100 years since the Balfour Declaration, to protest 100 years of colonization”, hosted by NYC Students for Justice in Palestine . The SJP claims that the Balfour Declaration was the first step toward the objective of political Zionism. [Face Book]
They will gather to protest the continued occupation of “Palestine” by Israeli Zionist forces.”
NYC Students for Justice in Palestine
Committee to Stop FBI Repression NYC
American Muslims for Palestine – NJ Chapter
Religious Center · Nonprofit Organization
Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
NY4Palestine
Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Labor for Palestine
Also, at the United Nations, on November 2, 2017, from 3 PM – 4:30 PM, “100 yrs of the Balfour Declaration and impact on Palestinians” · Hosted by United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights.
The LIES Never Stop.
“The United Nations Palestinian Rights Committee cordially invites you to a lecture on the Balfour Declaration and the impact it has had on the Palestinian people. The lecture will be delivered by Professor Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and director of the Middle East Institute of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs in the ECOSOC Chamber of the United Nations Secretariat in New York. It will bring together a broad range of participants, including members of the diplomatic community in New York, UN staff members, representatives of civil society organizations and the general public.”[Face Book]
Stand Up For Israel!
[Pictures and Video property of Pamela Hall]
