Cultural Boycott

Tamar-kali with her band and special guest Sonny Singh at "Palestine Calling"
Brooklyn vocalist and composer Tamar-kali with her band and special guest Sonny Singh at our "Palestine Calling" event on November 14th, 2015.

Document

Open letter from North American organizations: Batsheva, Take a strong, unequivocal stance against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians

February 21, 2012

To Batsheva Dance Company:

We are writing as human rights activists and artists from North American cities that you plan to visit on your upcoming tour. Palestinian civil society has issued a call for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, modeled on the call for the boycott of apartheid South Africa. Respecting that call, we urge you to cut all ties to the Brand Israel campaign and take a stand against the Israeli government’s violations of Palestinian rights. Until you do so, we will not welcome you in our cities and will organize a boycott of your performances due to your collaboration with the Israeli state.

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Event

Protest Batsheva Dance Company's 2012 performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music

 

Save the Date!

Join Adalah-NY to protest a performance by Batsheva, "Israel’s leading cultural ambassador".

In an exchange of letters with Adalah-NY, Batsheva's host, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, tried the excuse that Batsheva's performance won't "further a political agenda", but there's no denying it's part of the "Brand Israel" propaganda campaign. 

In solidarity with the Palestinian call for cultural boycott, don't let Israel use dance to whitewash apartheid!

Click here to read the exchange between Adalah-NY and the President of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Karen Hopkins.

This event is part of Israeli Apartheid Week. See the full NYC calendar HERE.

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Document

Second letter to Brooklyn Academy of Music responding to their reply re: Batsheva performances 2012

Alan H. Fishman
Chairman of the Board
Brooklyn Academy of Music

Karen Brooks Hopkins
President
Brooklyn Academy of Music

February 6, 2012

Dear Ms. Brooks,

Thank you for your February 2nd e-mail responding to Adalah-NY’s January 26th letter in which we called on you to cancel the Batsheva Dance Company’s upcoming performances at BAM. Adalah-NY supports the Palestinian civil society call for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions, such as the Batsheva Dance Company, that are complicit in Israel’s violation of international law and denial of Palestinian rights, and that refuse to take a stand against Israel’s systematic discrimination against the Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, within Israel, and as refugees in the diaspora.

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Document

Reply from Brooklyn Academy of Music regarding Adalah-NY's request to cancel the Batsheva Dance Company's 2012 performances.

Mr. Patrick Connors, Adalah-NY

Dear Mr. Connors,

Thank you for your letter regarding BAM's upcoming presentation of Batsheva Dance Company. I appreciate that you recognize BAM's history as a progressive arts organization and its commitment to diversity. Our core mission is an artistic one; we recognize the work of Batsheva as we recognize and support artistic work from dozens of countries and cultures.

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Document

Letter to Brooklyn Academy of Music asking them to cancel Batsheva Dance Company’s upcoming performance, January 2012

Alan H. Fishman
Chairman of the Board
Brooklyn Academy of Music

Karen Brooks Hopkins
President
Brooklyn Academy of Music

January 26, 2012

Dear Mr. Fishman and Ms. Brooks,

We are a group of New York City-based human rights activists and artists supporting the struggle for justice, human rights, equality and democracy in the Middle East.  As residents of New York City, including Brooklyn, we greatly appreciate the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s (BAM) long history as a progressive arts institution that supports diversity, equal rights, environmental consciousness and grassroots community action. We are writing with respect to Batsheva Dance Company’s upcoming performance at BAM.

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Press Release

New Yorkers Protest India.Arie Concert with Israeli Superstar Idan Raichel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 18, New York, NY - New York human rights activists protested the Idan Raichel and India.Arie “Open Door” concert at the Beacon Theater Tuesday night, handing out fliers and singing songs that highlighted how the performers help whitewash Israel’s apartheid policies against the Palestinian people. The US tour of Grammy Award–winning singer/songwriter India.Arie with “Israel’s most popular dread-locked musician” was met with similar protests in Olympia, WA, and Seattle, WA, and will again face protest this Wednesday in Boston.

Hannah Mermelstein of Adalah-NY stated, “This is not just a normal concert. By using culture to cover up Israel’s systematic repression of Palestinians, the Open Door concert closes the doors on Palestinian human rights. Idan Raichel is a self-proclaimed proud ambassador of Israel, but there is no pride in Israel’s ongoing siege—which includes killing, imprisonment, land confiscation, and blockades—of the indigenous people of Palestine.” 

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