After telling a friend that I enjoyed FARINELLI AND THE KING, especially Mark Rylance's performance, she was surprised I had supported the play. I was shocked when she explained. Did everyone else know what I didn't? That Rylance, along with Roger Waters, Caryl Churchill and other biased Brits, is one of the most virulent boycotters of Israel? I knew about Waters and Churchill, but not about Rylance, who I just learned protested the Globe Theater's inviting the Hebrew-language Habima company as early as 2002 while ignoring the theater's invites to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
I'm disgusted now that I've given $$ to anything associated with Rylance. And so, so disappointed that one of my (previously) favorite actors has chosen to align himself with BDS and others whose agenda is not to promote peace but to promote the destruction of Israel.
mamaleh said: "...protested the Globe Theater's inviting the Hebrew-language Habima company as early as2002 while ignoring the theater'sinvites to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia."
That is sort of the point in a cultural boycott, though?
Rylance is one of 1,100 British artists, musicians, actors, etc., who signed the Artists for Palestine UK’s “artists’ pledge.”
It says:
“We support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality. In response to the call from Palestinian artists and cultural workers for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.”
Good! Israel should be boycotted until they give back the Palestinians their land.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
Whenever I’m tempted to unblock someone, I just click “Reply to Message” and scroll down to read what they wrote. For whatever reason, posts aren’t blocked when you use that method.
Anyways, I lived in Israel for a while and I still don’t really understand the situation there. I have my opinions, and I do find some of the rhetoric on both sides ridiculous (yes, I just did the “both sides” thing) - but I have a hard time getting outraged about someone supporting or not supporting BDS.
mamaleh said: "After telling a friend that I enjoyed FARINELLI AND THE KING, especially Mark Rylance's performance, she was surprised I had supported the play. I was shocked when she explained.Did everyone else know what I didn't? That Rylance, along with Roger Waters, Caryl Churchill and other biased Brits,is one of the most virulent boycotters of Israel? I knew aboutWaters and Churchill, but not about Rylance, who I just learnedprotested the Globe Theater's inviting the Hebrew-language Habima company as early as2002 while ignoring the theater'sinvites to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
I'm disgusted now that I've given $$ to anything associated with Rylance. And so, so disappointed that one of my (previously) favorite actors has chosen to align himself with BDSand others whose agenda is not to promote peace but topromote the destruction of Israel.
So sad.
"
Well maybe next time before you buy tickets you can do research on the artists involved and see whether they support causes that you deem unacceptable, no?
Everyone is, of course, free to boycott what they want, and to alert others as they deem appropriate. Beyond that, I think it is fair to say this is not a superb choice for continuing this debate.
Having said that, regarding boycotts, the general Israeli take, ironically in this context perhaps, has (in far more heinous contexts) been to separate ideology from art
I don't know all the little details, since I don't follow this issue all that closely, but from what I understand the Palestinians were forced out of their homes so that the Jewish people could claim their holy land back (post WW2). Basically, it's theirs because the holy book says so and Palestinians no longer have any rights in the place that was once their own and many have been murdered. I'm an athiest, and it seems a little outrageous to me that you could essentially evict a whole group of people just because the Torah says so. I understand that there were a lot of Jewish people after WW2 that were homeless and needed a place to live, but did they really need to push out the Palestinians? To me it just shows the toxicity of organized religion.
Were we all supposed to boycott The Color Purple because of Alice Walker? How about we take a moment and realize that these people, these liberal artists, knowing full well that what they are saying is controversial, have chosen to take a stand to lend their voice and their credibility to the plight of people who are hurting. There’s no venom in that.
BroadwayConcierge said: "Call_me_jorge said: "Good! Israel should be boycotted until they give back the Palestinians their land."
Jorge, are you EFFING kidding me?"
I’m not kidding. The way the Israel government is treating Palestine is the same way the us government has treated the natives of this country. Israel needs to give up the settlements, without that land a functioning Palestine would never come to fruition. Right now Palestine is cut up into little pieces of lands and none of it is connected to one another without having to go through border controls. It’s not good for building an economy.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
A large majority of artists are against Israel. I’m shocked that anyone on here is shocked. I’m also shocked that people on this board are Zionists. Now I can’t wait to throw my money at Rylance!
i Don’t understand how people are anti-Israel being that it’s the once totally democratic State in that region. But hey, there are morons born every day.