TO THE EDITOR:
On Thursday, April 3, Memorial Hall hosted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s first performance in Chapel Hill. Upsetting to many concertgoers was the presence of anti-Israel protestors. I was disappointed by the lack of coverage provided by the Daily Tar Heel about this disturbance, as the paper has been diligent in reporting on related protests in the past.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is among the most nuanced in contemporary foreign policy, and it follows that a complex and difficult dialogue must arise in order to solve decades-old disagreements. Protesting the orchestra’s performance with signs that slandered performers simply does not advance any meaningful discussion. It is not only disingenuous but also reckless to suggest that direct parallels can be drawn between the philharmonic orchestra and the policies of Israel.
The axiom that any critique of Israel is inherently antisemitic is false; however, the anti-Israel activism as seen at Memorial Hall is antisemitic in its suggestion that all blame for ethnic violence lies entirely with an American-assisted Israeli government that could end all violence tomorrow if it so chooses. This perversion of facts regarding the Jewish state is terribly misleading and problematic.
The issues in Israel and the Palestinian territories are important. Accountability and change from an unsustainable status quo must be demanded. Unfortunately, the protestors’ chosen method to delegitimize the orchestra and Israel does not represent any movement towards constructive debate. Moreover, the non-Jewish conductor of Thursday’s performance and the numerous Americans in the orchestra would surely disagree that their performance represented one sociopolitical agenda.
As a beacon and platform for this community, The Daily Tar Heel needed to create a space to address and enlighten its audience on an important issue such as this.
Max Levin ’16
Political Science
