London’s Royal Opera House (ROH) has cancelled plans to host a production of Tosca in Tel Aviv, after nearly 200 of its employees signed an open letter opposed to “any current or future performances in Israel.”
Staff hostility to Israel was brought into focus when posh ‘non-binary queer dance artist’ Daniel Perry unveiled a Palestinian flag after a performance of Il Trovatore on Saturday, July 19th. When ROH director Oliver Mears disciplined the campaigner, 182 employees signed an open letter to management criticising him, the ROH, and its alleged stance on Gaza.
While next year’s production in Tel Aviv was pulled, the tone of the letter suggests that staffers do not consider this to be going far enough, despite what the pro-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions mouthpiece Jewish Voice for Labour called a “BDS victory at the Royal Opera House.” Supporters of Israel are now watching closely for the response of Jewish arts philanthropists, including The Rothschild Foundation, Wolfson Foundation, The Clore Duffield Foundation, and Edmond J. Safra Foundation.
While previous productions have been of mixed quality, opera lovers are increasingly concerned about the art form being devoured by politics.
The mutinous ROH staff, the majority of whom signed the Open Letter anonymously, join a growing number of employees who attack liberal and left-leaning enterprises because they are seen as a soft touch. To date, such conduct has laid waste to bookshops, cafés, and Edinburgh Fringe events involving Jewish comedians.
Commenting on this trend, arts consultant, writer, and curator Manick Govinda said:
The Left is eating itself. I used to go to Glasgow frequently in my heyday for the Unlimited Festival and the National Review for Live Art. Glasgow CCA is, or rather was, a lovely arts venue. It’s now been shut down by rabid activists. Like wow! Way to go.
