Uncultured thuggish "as-a-Jews" disrupt Wigmore Hall concert

Letter in today's 'Independent':

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-hunting-ban-1933792...

*Keep politics out of music*

Since when did we stoop so low that it has now become acceptable to use the education and arts as a shambolic platform for protest? When I first read your article "Protesters silence Israeli musicians in London" (1 April), I
thought it was an April fool. Sadly I was mistaken.

It is gravely upsetting that we can no longer separate musical talent from politics. What will be next? Will we find ourselves heckling the Divan
Orchestra, which brings Arab and Israeli musicians together to help foster Israel-Arab relations?

Sadly, this has already been the case for Clare College, when the renowned Cambridge choir were banned from performances in Israel after protests from the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign. Just as the Jerusalem Quartet in no way represents the government of Israel, we need to ensure that this type of abuse has no place in Britain.

Laura Ellman
London N12

30 March 2010

Announcement by the Jerusalem Quartet

Our lunchtime concert at the Wigmore Hall yesterday, 29 March 2010, was repeatedly interrupted by protesters seeking to demonstrate against the Government of Israel. The acts
of the demonstrators inside the Hall were upsetting to the audience in the Hall, the staff of the Hall, and the radio audience wishing to hear the concert on Radio Three. The demonstrators were mistaken and ignorant and inconsiderate.

The demonstrators were mistaken because we are not representatives of the Government of Israel. We are Israeli citizens, but have no connection with or patronage by the Government. We no more represent the Government of
Israel than the audience at the Wigmore Hall represented the Government of the United Kingdom.

As Israeli citizens, we were required to, and did, perform our National Service when we were aged 18. As it happens, none of us was in a combat
unit. We served our conscription as musicians playing for our fellow citizens. To identify our conscription, particularly since it was so long
ago, with support for government policies is as irrational as blaming members of the Territorial Army in this country for the invasion of Iraq.

The demonstrators were ignorant of the fact that two of us are regular members of Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, composed of Israeli and Arab musicians. We teach and lead our respective sections of
that orchestra. It is destructive of our attempts to foster Israel-Arab relations for us to be the subject of demonstrations of the kind we suffered
yesterday.

We are musicians, not politicians. We want our audiences to enjoy our music,
whoever they may be, whatever their religion or nationality or ethnicity, without unthinking interruptions of the kind that we, our audiences and the staff suffered yesterday.

Post on Greenstein's blog:

Jane Allen said... At the Wigmore Hall there were several protests: one from your group who were out to cripple a beautiful performance by the JQ (and get yourselves on air - failed),a terrific protest by the JQ by their wonderful playing despite the manic screams and yells from yourselves, the audience who cheered, encouraged and at the end of the concert brought the house down with their enthusiasm for the JQ,and the Wigmore Hall management team who removed you all so competently and allowed the JQ all the time it needed to perfect and complete their performance. In fact your protest did all of us a power of good - there never was such a spirit in the Hall - it's a pity you weren't able to stay and experience it. Incidentally we'll all be listening to the preconcert recording on Saturday -do join us!

31 March 2010 12:40

That type of thuggish behaviour isn't necessary.

They got publicity by disrupting a concert played by musicians, who happened to be drafted into national service but served as musicians, not combatants. These musicians are committed to peaceful relations with their Arab neighbours and do more to promote peace than most people in this world.

Disrupting their concert shows that that the cause of those who did the disrupting is to disrupt harmony where it does exist and to sow discord into this world.

It didn't bring good publicity. It just showed that those who support the cause of the people who disrupted the concert are uncultured thugs.

It is irrelevant which IDF unite they served in. The IDF is there to defend Israel and that is the right of every State. It is also irrelevant that two of them are in the Barenboim Jew-Arab orchestra.

The only thing that is relevant is that a concert was disrupted. That is an insult to music, an insult to the paying audience and an insult to Radio3 listeners.

On the other hand Fink and Greenstein are the best recruiting serjeants supporters of Israel could want. 700 music lovers who previously could not even find Israel on the map are now supporters.

I hope they do not go to prison therefore

Jonathan, this whole episode has been a huge publicity coup for the anti zionist lobby. Most people as soon as they find out the facts about what is actually going on are incredibly supportive of the cause.
It is not a criminal offence to disrupt a concert. It is a crimial offence.
What the protestors have now discovered is a great way of disrupting Israel attempting to present itself as a peaceful nation.

You can't stop them Jonathan. Expect to see maby more protests and disruptions.
Enjoy Easter!

"a huge publicity coup for the anti zionist lobby."

Yeah and the moon is made of green cheese.

If you think that 700 elderly lunchtime concert goers who paid for their tickets and neither know nor care about the Middle East were won over then you are an even bigger fool.

Message 241 - posted by HamishMacCunn (U13043981) , 12 Hours Ago

However deeply held the convictions of those who disrupted this performance, and regardless of whether they are right or wrong in their views, what right do they have to prevent others enjoying a concert which they have paid good money to attend? Is everyone entitled to impose his (or her) views on others in this way? If so, where does it end? When it's impossible to go to any concert with any confidence of hearing it to the end?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbradio3/F7497567?thread=7400631&skip=240&show=...

This comment is tyical of many on the BBC Radio3 blog about the incident.

As long as you foolish muppets think "all publicity is good publicity" then we have little to worry about.

Another:

"Cellini's post at #19 is an absolute disgrace.

I would like to send all me best wishes to the Jerusalem Quartet, in case they or their reps see this, and to encourage them to ignore these fascists and assorted anti-semites who have so sulled the reputation of this open-minded country, and smeared our musical culture with such an inappropriate display of hooliganism at the Wigmore today."

"I and many of my friends would like to support this [above] post - the chatter of anti-semitism cloaked in anti-Israeli sentiment is nothing less than racism, which is a disgrace to our nation. On behalf of Britain we apologise for the repellent behaviour and opinions expressed by some of the commenters here."

Nikulturny, that's what they are, as Pravda would put it

Jonathan, This is going to happen again and again. As long as Israel illegally occupies the West Bank anti Zionists will protest and disrupt flagship Israeli groups. If people choose to buy tickets for concerts you can't vet who you sell them to.
I think if Mozart had been alive today he would also have been appalled by Israel's actions!

tomeisner2
Why don't you read the blogs, you need to read,learn and understand the facts, the only illegal occupation is in the minds of the Israel bashers and delegitimisers
http://www.thejc.com/blogpost/occupied-shmockupied
If you think your cause is helped by a few misguided individuals in need of psychiatriac help who distrupted a classical concert - you need to think again.
You are pursuing a lost cause, time to re-think and move off the Jewish Chronicle and onto the Guardian where you views may be welcomed - they are not welcome here.

Jon Cohen,
Yours is the lost cause. we will win.

"If people choose to buy tickets for concerts you can't vet who you sell them to."

But you can choose whom to admit. Having a ticket does not guarantee admission.

I promise to do my level best to ensure that Fink, Greenstein and Kahn are not admitted to another JSQ concert in London.

Bouncers at the Wigmore! It will become like a night club. Can't wait.

How will you stop disruptions if the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra come say to the Albert Hall for the Proms?

But on a positive note (excuse the pun) the JSQ could easily avoid any future trouble simply by renaming themselves after their first violinist Pavlovsky. The Pavlosky quartet would not be considered a target because they do not use the name Jerusalem.

I'd pay good money to watch one bunch of thugs take on another at the Wigmore. Handbags, anyone?

Interesting moshetzafarti2 considers the Jerusalem Quartet to be thugs - nice one! tomeisner2 a people that has had to endure 2000 tears of persecution will easily see out a bunch of hooligans like you who desperately fail in your pathetic attempts to divorce the Jewish people from Jerusalem. Not having any legitimate arguments to make like Arafat before you, you resort to thuggery and terrorism - please continue to make our case for us.

No, mitnachabel, I don't. Please try and read what I wrote. I said that both sides of the demo were thugs.

Great concert at the Wigmore Hall tonight: The Jerusalem Quartet played Mozart: String Quartet in D K499; Janacek: String Quartet No.1 "Kreutzer Sonata" and were joined by Lawrence Power (viola) for Mozart: String Quartet in C K 515. Terrific applause by the audience, many of whom were at the previous disrupted concert - and were horrified.

But the nearest the Forces of Darkness got tonight was the pavement outside....

Where the soprano warbled to a stunned crowd, no doubt!

Great news that the concert was a success - wish I could have been there! I think it will be broadcast on radio 3, after the last broadcast was interrupted by cultural vandals and self-loathing neanderthals.

Unfortunately it was not scheduled for broadcasting.