Sinclair boycott of Israeli singer-songwriter doesn’t sound progressive to a letter writer
Regarding the article about the staff of The Sinclair, who refused to serve customers at a fundraiser for Israel (“The Sinclair boycott was bottom-up leadership,” Attend, March 7):
Your author praised this action, but a refusal to serve customers because of the server’s personal beliefs is not usually seen as progressive. In fact, it’s hard to distinguish from the wedding-cake baker who refused to bake cakes for gay weddings.
It should also be pointed out that the customers were a group of American Jews at an event organized by an observant American Jewish religious group, one of whose religious beliefs is the indivisibility of the Jewish people and the land of Israel – a normative tenet of observant Jews. The staff’s action was a direct refusal to serve at least some of these Jews because it disapproved of their religious belief. Not a pretty picture.
Michal Williams, Moore Street, Somerville
The conflation of Israel and Judaism as is not a normal tenet or religious belief of most Jewish people I know, but I think we run in different circles.
“but a refusal to serve customers because of the server’s personal beliefs” Is an incredibly euphemistic way to refer to refusing to participate in a fundraiser for those carrying out an ongoing genocide.
1. Some observant Jews are anti-Zionist, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satmar. It varies!
2. Hamas is also to some extent a religious organization, as is Otzma Yehudit, a party explicitly calling for ethnic cleansing. I grew up in Israel with people like the latter’s leader Itamar Ben-Gvir (Itamar was a very popular name in our age group), and they treated a mass murderer like Baruch Goldstein as a religious martyr. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Goldstein#Veneration_by_extremists has a bunch of quotes which matched the beliefs some of the people I knew growing up.
Sometimes it’s OK to disapprove of people’s religious beliefs!
3. A same-sex wedding is perhaps not something one should compare to Israel killing 10,000 children.
The bottom line is that Sinclair employees boycotted an event that was meaningful to many Jews—so many that two performances were necessary. It’s a really bad look.
I agree with Dan Eisner. It is a bad look that so many Jews would support an event that raised money to foster a genocide.
I should add that, as a Jew, I’m very grateful for people like Max Morton, a Jewish employee of the Sinclair who participated in the staff boycott (https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/02/29/sinclair-staff-boycott-music-venue-over-fundraising-concert-for-israel).
And likewise I’m thankful for Jewish organizations here in the US like Jewish Voices for Peace, If Not Now, and Worker’s Circle of Boston who are opposing Israel’s war crimes, and for Israeli organizations like Btselem (https://www.btselem.org/), New Profile (https://newprofile.org/), Yesh Gvul (https://www.yesh-gvul.org.il/) and others who are doing the same in Israel.
Just because something is repeated ad nauseam does not make it true. Israel is guilty of committing many terrible acts (suggesting that they’re war crimes seems fine) during this war, but it is *highly* debatable that it’s guilty of genocide. Why do critics of Israel insist on using the most provocative language imaginable—language that is especially sensitive to Jews—when discussing Israel’s actions?
There is a small number of American Jews who have aligned with the most strident haters of Israel, but they still represent a tiny percentage. Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, etc., are fringe groups.
Gerald: Is there any evidence that the money raised is for the IDF?
@Gerald Bergman wins the award for the most solid buuuurrrrrrnnnnn!
Thanks for the resources Itamar.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/stop-the-war-in-gaza