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Musicians Petition Belgian Music Festival to Reinvite Munich Philharmonic Axed Because of Israeli Conductor
Lahav Shani, future chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, stands on stage after receiving the Golden Medal of Honor from the City of Munich. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa via Reuters Connect
A group of musicians launched a petition on Wednesday night urging an upcoming international music festival in Ghent, Belgium, to reconsider canceling a concert by the Munich Philharmonic, which was called off because its future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, is Israeli and also the music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Munich Philharmonic was scheduled to perform on Sept. 18 at the Flanders Festival Ghen with Shani as conductor. Shani will take over as conductor of the Munich Philharmonic for the 2026/27 season. Organizers of the festival, taking place in the Flemish region of Belgium, said on Wednesday they made the decision to cancel the concert “on the basis of our deepest conviction that music should be a source of connection and reconciliation.”
They said in a released statement that the Tel Aviv-born director “has spoken out in favor of peace and reconciliation several times in the past, but in the light of his role as the chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, we are unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv.”
“In line with the call from the Minister of Culture, the city council of Ghent and the cultural sector in Ghent, we have chosen to refrain from collaboration with partners who have not distanced themselves unequivocally from that regime,” organizers added. “Given the inhumanity of the current situation, which is also leading to emotional reactions in our own society, we believe it is undesirable to allow this concert to go ahead. We have chosen to maintain the serenity of our festival and safeguard the concert experience for our visitors and musicians.”
Tickets purchased for the concert will be fully reimbursed and ticketholders are “currently being contacted personally,” organizers said. They additionally claimed that the festival “aspires to be a place where artists, audiences, and staff can experience music in a context of respect and safety” and “remains committed to the universal power of music.”
On Wednesday night, a group of musicians, led by the Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, started a petition that urges the Ghent Festival of Flanders to immediately reverse its “morally bankrupt decision” to cancel the concert with Shani and to uphold “the values of dialogue and openness.” More than 3,000 people have signed the petition, whose co-authors include British pianist Danny Driver, American conductor and violinist Joshua Weilerstein, and Belarusian musician Kyril Zlotnikov.
“The Ghent Festival has chosen to punish an artist on the basis of his nationality alone,” the musicians wrote in their petition. “What is more insidious is the implication that any artist, Israeli or otherwise, will only be accepted if they express unequivocally the ‘correct’ opinions.”
“This decision will do nothing to save a single Palestinian life, bring a hostage home, or to make any improvement to the unbearable civilian suffering currently taking place in this conflict,” they added, referring to the war in Gaza. “It will, however, resonate loudly with those who equate an artist’s nationality with an excuse to exclude them from the cultural sphere.”
In a joint statement, the Munich Philharmonic and city of Munich said they were “appalled” by the cancellation of the concert. They accused Flanders Festival Ghen organizers of caving to “pressure from activist groups and Belgian politics,” and defended Shani.
“Lahav Shani is stepping up for understanding, humanism and dialogue in all his work as a musician and a human being,” they said. “We strongly refuse to bring Israeli artists under general suspicion and collectively punish them. Banning people from the stage, concert hall, or other public places because of their origin or religious affiliation is an attack on essential European and democratic values.”
Munich Philharmonic Director Florian Wiegand said he was “stunned” that the festival “is making such an unimaginable decision,” while Marek Wiechers, head of cultural affairs in the city of Munich, described Shani as someone who “stands for humanity, reconciliation, and understanding like no other, with his integrative work and attitude.”
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter called the decision “utterly incomprehensible” and declared: “The City of Munich, and I personally, stand firmly with the Munich Philharmonic and with their future chief conductor, Lahav Shani.”
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra said it “firmly condemns the decision” and expressed “profound regret” over the move.
“In the world of music and art, there is simply no place for withdrawing an invitation based on one’s place of origin,” the orchestra said. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Munich Philharmonic for their steadfast support of Lahav Shani, and we send Lahav a warm embrace of solidarity and encouragement.”
Israel’s Ambassador to Belgium Idit Rosenzweig-Abu described the decision as “antisemitic,” and accused festival organizers of “racism” and “discriminating a person based solely on his origin.” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told the local radio station RTBF he thinks the cancellation is “excessive.”
“We must not confuse the Jewish community and Israelis with Netanyahu’s policies,” he added, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer criticized the move as a “disgrace for Europe” and said in a statement that “under the guise of supposed criticism of Israel, a cultural boycott is being carried out here.”
The Flanders Festival Ghen runs from Sept. 12- Oct. 2. The event attracts more than 50,000 visitors and showcases classical music, as well as world music and jazz, according to its website. The festival hosts at least 180 concerts and more than 1,500 international artists. Flanders Festival Ghent is a member of the Federation of Flanders Music Festivals (FMiV) and the European Festivals Association (EFA).
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North London Synagogue, Nursery Targeted in Eighth Local Antisemitic Incident in Just Over a Week
Demonstrators against antisemitism in London on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism
A synagogue and its nursery school in the Golders Green area of north London were targeted in an antisemitic attack on Thursday morning — the eighth such incident locally in just over a week amid a shocking surge of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the area.
The synagogue and Jewish nursery were smeared with excrement in an antisemitic outrage echoing a series of recent incidents targeting the local Jewish community.
“The desecration of another local synagogue and a children’s nursery with excrement is a vile, deliberate, and premeditated act of antisemitism,” Shomrim North West London, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group, said in a statement.
“This marks the eighth antisemitic incident locally in just over a week, to directly target the local Jewish community,” the statement read. “These repeated attacks have left our community anxious, hurt, and increasingly worried.”
Local law enforcement confirmed they are reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.
This latest anti-Jewish hate crime came just days after tens of thousands of people marched through London in a demonstration against antisemitism, amid rising levels of antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In just over a week, seven Jewish premises in Barnet, the borough in which Golders Green is located, have been targeted in separate antisemitic incidents.
According to the Metropolitan Police, an investigation has been launched into the targeted attacks, all of which involved the use of bodily fluids.
During the incidents, a substance was smeared on four synagogues and a private residence, while a liquid was thrown at a school and over a car in two other attacks.
As the investigation continues, local police said they believe the same suspect is likely responsible for all seven offenses, which are being treated as religiously motivated criminal damage.
No arrests have been made so far, but law enforcement said it is actively engaging with the local Jewish community to provide reassurance and support.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, condemned the recent wave of attacks and called on authorities to take immediate action.
“The extreme defilement of several Jewish locations in and around Golders Green is utterly abhorrent and deeply distressing,” CST said in a statement.
“CST is working closely with police and communal partners to support victims and help identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” it continued.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also denounced the attacks, calling for urgent measures to protect the Jewish community.
“These repeated incidents are leaving British Jews anxious and vulnerable in their own neighborhoods, not to mention disgusted,” CAA said in a statement.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes and anti-Israel sentiment.
Last month, CST published a report showing there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.
In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism despite being an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.
In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021.
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Germany to Hold Off on Recognizing Palestinian State but Will Back UN Resolution for Two-State Solution
German national flag flutters on top of the Reichstag building, that seats the Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, March 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Germany will support a United Nations resolution for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but does not believe the time has come to recognize a Palestinian state, a government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday.
“Germany will support such a resolution which simply describes the status quo in international law,” the spokesman said, adding that Berlin “has always advocated a two-state solution and is asking for that all the time.”
“The chancellor just mentioned two days ago again that Germany does not see that the time has come for the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the spokesman added.
Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London said it could hold back if Israel were to take steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace process.
The United States strongly opposes any move by its European allies to recognize Palestinian independence.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US has told other countries that recognition of a Palestinian state will cause more problems.
Those who see recognition as a largely symbolic gesture point to the negligible presence on the ground and limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia, and many Arab states that have recognized Palestinian independence for decades.
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UN Security Council, With US Support, Condemns Strikes on Qatar
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel‘s ally the United States.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, escalating its military action in what the United States described as a unilateral attack that does not advance US and Israeli interests.
The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.
The Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
“Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority,” the Security Council statement read.
The Security Council will meet later on Thursday to discuss the Israeli attack at a meeting due to be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.