Protest the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s NYC performance
Tuesday February 22nd from 5:30 – 7:15 pm
Carnegie Hall on 57th St. and 7th Ave. in Manhattan
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s (IPO) performance is part of its annual national tour, which will be protested in other cities as well. The protests respond to the call from Palestinian civil society to boycott institutions that work to normalize the occupation of Palestinian territories and the oppression of Palestinians in Israel, the territories, and in exile.
The orchestra actively participates in whitewashing Israel’s apartheid policies. By serving as cultural ambassadors for Israel, the Israel Philharmonic is supporting the Israeli government’s “Brand Israel” initiative, an effort to divert public attention from Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people. The orchestra refrains from criticism of Israel’s policies, and is described by the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as “Israel’s finest cultural emissary,” which “travels throughout the world…The goodwill created by these tours…is of enormous value to the State of Israel. As a result, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra maintains its position at the forefront of cultural diplomacy and the international music scene.”
One corporate sponsor of the IPO’s US tour is Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, who hosted a gala fundraiser last November for the IPO tour at his New York jewelry store. The IPO thus partners with Leviev’s companies though they have been shunned by UNICEF, CARE, Oxfam, the British and Norwegian governments, Hollywood stars and international investment firms due to Leviev’s construction of Israeli settlements and involvement in human rights abuses in the diamond industry in Southern Africa.
People throughout the Middle East are mobilizing to challenge repressive governments. The people will not tolerate dictatorships or occupations. Join us in the street for a peaceful, meaningful, timely protest against the art-washing of apartheid.
Protest co-sponsors to date (list in formation): Adalah-NY, Artists Against Apartheid – NYC, Al Awda-NY, Hunter Collage SJP, Jews Say No!, Middle East Crisis Response, Palestinian Club of Brooklyn College, NYU – SJP, War Resisters League New York Local, WESPAC, Women in Black-Union Square, Women of a Certain Age.
