Dear friends,
For those of you who haven't been following the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, I have good news: It is growing! And even meeting many successes! Not too many in the US yet, but I do believe we are well on our way. Just as in the movement against apartheid South Africa, which is in many ways a model for this movement against apartheid Israel, cultural boycott plays a key role. Some of you may remember "Ain't Gonna Play Sun City." Well, we are now encouraging artists to say, "Ain't Gonna Play Israel." Many cultural workers (musicians, writers, directors) have canceled recent trips to Israel; some (like Adrienne Rich) have declared support for the BDS movement, and some have simply cited "logistical concerns" but were actually in private conversation with leaders in the movement.
We often try to put pressure on artists who are otherwise progressive, who otherwise believe in peace and justice. We remind them that performing in Israel right now will only serve to whitewash Israel's apartheid policies, and will be used by the Israeli government to legitimize its actions. We say this now to Leonard Cohen. If you haven't already, please write to Cohen's manager Robert Kory - info@rkmgment.com - and encourage him to cancel the show in Israel. It is scheduled to take place on September 24, but tickets have not yet been put on sale. Some fellow activists of mine met with Kory last week in New York, and it seems that we have a fighting chance, if only because they are desperate to avoid protest. We need to tell them that the way to avoid protest is not to perform in Israel! To take a stand against apartheid, instead of for it.
If you need some inspiration, watch this video of our demonstration in New York last week when Cohen performed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjU_zdfX9Eg It's complete with chants and songs that you are welcome to use. And please forward to anyone you know in eastern Canada, Denver, or the various places in Europe that are on Cohen's tour schedule in the coming weeks and months.
And... for the Facebookers out there, join the group "Leonard Cohen, drop Israel from your world tour!" at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=81564072660&ref=ts.
For more on the NY Leonard Cohen demo and to download the flyer: adalahny.org.
For more info on cultural boycott: pacbi.org.
Hope all is well with all of you. My next e-mail may very well be from Palestine.
Best,
Hannah
