Israeli musician banned in Warsaw – for Russian reasons
NewsThe jazzman Avishai Cohen and his trio have been cancelled by the Warsaw Jazz Around Festival.
The trio appeared recently at the Moscow Jazz Festival supported by the Putin government.
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At a time when artists worldwide are boycotting Russia and restricting the opportunities for Russian artists, if Israeli musicians feel happy to go to Moscow then they must accept the same fate as others still supporting the Russian enterprises.
How very unpleasant that they seemed to feel it was okay to participate in this particular jazz festival.
I appreciate that this story has not been presented as an example of anti-Semitism. Israeli artists have to do what so many others around the world have: choose sides. They do not exist above the fray any more than other artists do.
Russian troops are stationed on the Israeli border, supporting Iran and Assad. 15% – 20% of Israeli Jews have roots and family in the former USSR – some in both belligerants. Some elderly Israelies recieve pensions from Russia or Ukraine. So taking sides is not always so simple.
Yes, the choice between money and reputation can be very difficult.
It is true that “taking sides is not always so simple”, but in case of Russia it has been very simple lately.
Not if your family lives there.
If you know of cases when people in Russia were prosecuted for being related to artists who are not performing there, please do share.
WOW – “Taking sides is not so simple” – what a shameful moral stance, especially when coming from an Israeli…. nothing is simpler as long as your conscience is in the right place.
I thought it was meant ironically
We’ve demanded that Russian artists – with jobs, family, friends, sometimes residences in Russia – take sides. I should think that if they can do it, non-Russians can do it too.
At least to the extent of staying away from a relatively unimportant festival. Why Moscow, when if they had not gone there they could certainly have gone to Warsaw?
Maybe, “taking sides” is not that simple because most Israelis remember who killed their kin in the Holocaust? Maybe, this has also something to do with the fact that today 8 times more Jews live in “totalitarian” Russia than in democratic Poland?
They were apparently quite willing to go — they were, according to the report above, “cancelled.”
As for numbers of Jews, Russia’s population is about 4 times that of Poland. Hardly surprising the Jewish population is larger.
And though I would not be prepared to go bail on Polish attitudes toward Jews then or now, most Jewish kin were killed by Germans in occupied Poland. There is a strong history of anti-Semitism in Polish history, but I don’t recall that it carried out the pogroms that were routine in Russia (and Ukraine).
Here we go again: Holodomor had happened “in Ukraine” but pogroms happened…in Russia! No, there were no pogroms in Russia because there were almost no Jews in Russian Empire outside the borders of what is now Ukraine and Moldova.
As for the Holocaust, the Germans would not have succeeded in killing 6 million Jews without the help of local enthusiasts in Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and so on.
No argument here.
All of those countries – Russia, Ukraine, Poland (just like most of Europe) – have plenty of antisemitic chapters in their histories, but please remind us when was the last time Poland (or Ukraine for that matter) brutally invaded neighboring countries and occupied their territories while continuously targeting civilian objects and committing countless other war crimes.
I just love your “worldwide”. Are you aware that only 40+ countries out of the UN 193 member states participate in sanctions against Russia? Or that 2/3 of the world’s countries either declined the invitation to the recent anti-Russian summit in Switzerland or refused to sign their declaration? And if you do the head count, this is 80% of the world’s population. Yet you call yourself “we, the world”.
If you are addressing me, I said “artists worldwide.” I did not say universally, and I made no reference to countries and their official attitudes. We have often discussed places where Russian artists have been cancelled — or not — and other aspects of the situation artists face depending upon their, and various institutions’ in many countries, position regarding Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
And who exactly is calling him/herself “we the people”?
Worldwide means “throughout the world. So either you lied or you believe the world is limited to the USA, Western Europe, and maybe Australia-Canada-Japan.
I meant, and you know it, that many houses throughout the world have cancelled artists because of their association with Putin or, in some cases, just because they are Russian.
“Throughout the world” means in many and varied places. I am not discussing government sanctions on anyone, merely actions within the musical world. (“World” meaning realm). Grow up.
Maybe you can name one such house in China or India? Or somewhere in Africa or South America?
That says quite a lot about most of UN countries. But we have known that for many decades.
Poland is very nervous and very restrictive when it comes to Russia – and with very good historical reason – one can only hope that Putin doesn’t end up showing up at the Polish border (after destroying the Baltics) and another comprehensive decision has to be made!
Le spartizioni della Polonia sono state quattro , le nazioni erano sempre le stesse Impero Asburgico , Impero prussiano Impero zarista
Music should be a healing experience.
So many on this blog want to tie every pain of the world to music.
-Casals wouldn’t play in Franco’s Spain.
-Kubelik wouldn’t go back to communist Czechslovakia.
-Karel Ancerl left Czechoslovakia in 1968.
-Plenty of musicians left the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
-Many pop musicians wouldn’t play South Africa during apartheid. (Those who did – Queen, Sinatra, others – caught a lot of flak for it). (see Steve Van Zandt’s “Ain’t Gonna Play in Sun City.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aopKk56jM-I
Music has never been divorced from world events.
Nor should it be. Why should musicians be exempt from moral choices?
Athletes, whose career lengths are considerably shorter and the nature of whose work requires training in order to peak at certain times, have been obliged to withdraw from premier events in their career cycles such as the Olympics over international considerations. For some there is no other chance, meaning years of dedication and training are irrevocably lost.
We ALL live in ” the real world.” Just as I consistently argue that artists are entitled to air their views on public issues — they do not check their citizenship at the stage door — they must similarly respond to issues in a way that reflects their views on said issue. And expect the consequences of their choices.
The hypocrisy of the West continues to stun me. Every time I think I have seen it all, more outrageous examples get published here and elsewhere
Saw Cohen at a club in Paris several years ago and they were excellent. Sorry to hear of his participation in the Moscow fest. Artists surely should be free to make such decisions, but they also must accept any consequences.
I do not support Russia and Israel…I support the truth…and the truth is both of these countries are killing innocents!!