The management of the Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall decided to rescind its ban on hosting a Hanukkah concert featuring an Israeli cantor who serves as a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli commented: “This is a very important victory that follows a persistent struggle. I am glad that the public pressure led by the Jewish community in the Netherlands, together with non-Jewish Dutch activists, who fought against the blatant discrimination against the Jewish community, did their part and led to the change in the decision.”
According to the Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall, the decision was rescinded as a legal battle “would not be good for anyone—not for the Concertgebouw and certainly not for the city of Amsterdam.”
However, on a statement, the institution “remains of the opinion that, in the current polarised climate, the cantor, who is Chief Cantor of the IDF, cannot perform at the Concertgebouw. This is due to his symbolic role in the IDF, which is involved in a war that divides our society.”
