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Amsterdam Club Slammed for ‘Gaslighting,’ ‘Lying,’ Succumbing to Pressure to Cancel Israeli Comedian’s Shows
Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder. Photo: Screenshot
An improv theater and comedy club in The Netherlands is being heavily criticized for “caving” to pressure from pro-Palestinian activists and making an “outrageous” decision to cancel performances by an Israeli stand-up comedian, while also allegedly lying about security concerns expressed by local police.
Israeli stand-up comedian Yohay Sponder was originally scheduled to perform two shows on Jan. 25 at Boom Chicago, located in Amsterdam, as part of his world tour called “Self-Loving Jew.” Sponder, who is based in Israel, is beginning the European leg of his tour in London this week and the second stop was scheduled to be in Amsterdam.
“Sponder is a comedian; his mission in life is to bring joy and laughter to people. He’s not looking for a fight. That being said, he is unapologetically proud to be Jewish and Israeli,” Kayla Sponder, who is the comedian’s booking manager and wife, told The Algemeiner on Monday. She added that her team is “incredibly disappointed” by Boom Chicago’s decision to cancel Yohay’s two shows after it faced criticism and backlash from pro-Palestinian activists.
“I knew that there would be feelings and reactions to a show that’s called ‘Self-Loving Jew,’ even though the message is self-love,” she explained. “We’re not tone deaf to the climate in Europe and the world, so we knew this was coming, I just didn’t expect it from club owners and venues. I expected protests and pushback, but it’s very disappointing. It’s a sad day not just for the Jewish community, but for culture and the arts when freedom of expression and freedom of speech is silenced and it’s not backed up.”
“I think they were honest about the concerns that were raised,” she added about Boom Chicago. “I think the concerns were real … [But] I think they made the wrong decision. They caved.” The venue’s decision even sparked outrage from politicians in The Netherlands who called the move “outrageous” and demanded that the country’s minister of education, culture, and science get involved to protect Jewish artists like Sponder.
Kayla explained to The Algemeiner that she had been working with Boom Chicago for roughly the last two months to coordinate Yohay’s performances on Jan. 25 at the venue. The first show sold out and the second show was nearly sold out.
“Everything was great. We had a great working relationship [with Boom Chicago]. Everything was running really smoothly until about two weeks ago,” Kayla said, before explaining an incident that took place at the comedy club.
A pro-Palestinian activist had walked into Boom Chicago, criticized the venue for allowing a Zionist Jewish comedian to perform there, and declared “Free Palestine.” After the incident, Boom Chicago’s sales and events coordinator told Kayla that Yohay’s performance at the venue would move forward but the club had some security concerns they wanted to discuss with her over a Zoom call.
Kayla said she and her team were already planning on hiring private security even prior to the incident, “because we’re not tone deaf to the current climate in Europe.” Only two months ago, fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were targeted with antisemitic violence and physically assaulted, and even run over by cars, in the streets of Amsterdam.
“The security and safety of Yohay’s fans, staff that is working with him, and of course his own safety is top priority,” Kayla said.
When Kayla had a Zoom meeting with two staff members of Boom Chicago, including its head of sales and events, they told her the pro-Palestinian activist who entered the club sent them an email and informed them about more organized efforts by anti-Israel groups to protest and boycott Yohay’s shows on Jan. 25. Online groups, such as one called Student Intifada NL, baselessly called Yohay a “genocide glorifier” and an “ultra-Zionist” who “makes jokes based on Israeli propaganda.”
In response, Kayla told Boom Chicago her team would be in touch with private security companies, increase security at the shows on Jan. 25, and pay for it out of pocket. At the time of the Zoom call, the venue still gave her the impression that the shows would take place, she told The Algemeiner.
On Friday morning, however, Boom Chicago’s director Andrew Moskos sent an email to Kayla. He said that after speaking to police in Amsterdam, the venue decided to cancel Yohay’s shows for security reasons.
“Due to the climate in Amsterdam, public reactions, and concerns from the police, we cannot allow Yohay Sponder’s performance at Boom Chicago on Jan. 25 to continue,” Moskos wrote in an email to Kayla that was shared with The Algemeiner. “Boom Chicago has always stood for free speech. This is not a decision we take lightly.”
“The situation is tense here, we got a lot of feedback, police was concerned about the performance as well. At the end of the day we just can’t go forward with this right now,” Moskos wrote in subsequent emails. “It is just a complicated situation, it’s almost the most complicated moment of a complicated situation, those 50 Maccabi [soccer] fans certainly didn’t help the situation, that is for sure. That’s what sort of kickstarted the situation.”
Even during phone calls about the decision, Moskos repeatedly told Kayla that Amsterdam police had expressed security concerns about the performances. Kayla told The Algemeiner that when she asked Moskos directly if the request to cancel Yohay’s shows had come from police, he responded, “It has not come to that yet, but I think that that decision will and I don’t want to wait for that to come…we have negative advice is what where we are.”
However, the Amsterdam-based publication NL Times reported that Amsterdam police and the office of Mayor Femke Halsem denied any involvement in Boom Chicago’s decision. A police spokesperson was also cited as saying that they did not know about Yohay’s performances and never discussed security concerns with the venue.
“It seems like they [Boom Chicago] weren’t being honest,” Kayla told The Algemeiner. “Someone’s lying. They can’t be both telling the truth.”
Moskos also said in emails to Kayla throughout the weekend that Boom Chicago would help her team find a “Jewish venue or club space in Amsterdam that might accommodate you.” Kayla said the Boom Chicago team never ended up sending her suggestions for other venues.
“Who might be available at this late notice and willing to take the heat?” Moskos wrote in one email.
“He sent the most gaslighting email ever,” Kayla said. “I didn’t create this situation, I didn’t create the ‘heat.’ I didn’t create this ‘late notice.’”
In the aftermath of the event being canceled, Kayla said the Jewish community and pro-Israel allies have reached out and offered to help, showing what she called “an immense amount of support.” Her team tried to find an alternative venue in Amsterdam to keep Yohay’s shows on Jan. 25 but to no avail. They hope to bring his shows to Amsterdam at a later date.
In April, Boom Chicago will host a performance by Palestinian comedian Sammy Obeid, who recently concluded a tour called “Ceasefire.” Obeid has regularly posted anti-Israel messages on social media, accusing the country of genocide, comparing it to the Hezbollah terrorist organization, and criticizing US support for the Jewish state. He often makes jokes about Israel and has even done stand-up comedy routines ridiculing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
When The Algemeiner contacted Boom Chicago for a comment, and asked for them to clarify their involvement with Amsterdam police before making the decision to cancel Yohay’s show, Boom Chicago CEO Saskia Maas referred to a statement posted on the venue’s website.
“Unfortunately, following the announcement of the show, we received significant negative reactions, both online and from our visitors. Some of these responses were outright threatening,” they said in part. “As a result, we began to worry about the safety of our performers, audience, and colleagues. Therefore, we made the difficult decision to cancel the performance.”
“We are deeply saddened that this situation has escalated into a polarized debate about Gaza,” they added. “In our 32 years of existence, we have never experienced anything like this. Very nasty criticism has come at us from all sides, even though we genuinely tried to do what was best for everyone. We are using this experience to learn and grow. In the future, we will involve the City of Amsterdam immediately whenever safety concerns arise. Thankfully, we are now working closely with them on next steps.”
Boom Chicago concluded by saying that it will host an open discussion about the role of comedy in 2025. “The goal is to foster understanding and dialogue among diverse perspectives, without restrictions. We hope we can have a future where that is possible because humor can help bring people closer: Life is better when you laugh together.”
The post Amsterdam Club Slammed for ‘Gaslighting,’ ‘Lying,’ Succumbing to Pressure to Cancel Israeli Comedian’s Shows first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Anti-Israel Bias in UK Hospitals Alarms Jewish Patients, Fueling Fears of Global Trend
University College London Hospital. Photo: Tagishsimon via Wikimedia Commons
Two recent incidents at hospitals in the UK fit a troubling pattern of Jews feeling unsafe due to medical professionals expressing antisemitism or even outright threats of death against Israelis.
The University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH Trust) has issued an apology following a patient’s complaints about the placement of anti-Israel posters at a facility.
“I’m an outpatient but God forbid in other circumstances to feel so vulnerable already and be surrounded by hostility would be so scary,” the unnamed female patient told the group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), fearful of receiving subpar treatment if the hospital staff discovered she was Jewish. “I shouldn’t have to remove my Star of David necklace to go to a hospital visit.”
The poster read:
Israel is starving and killing Palestinians in Gaza.
Children are being slaughtered beyond measure.
We have a voice, they don’t.
We are the generation that can influence the system & government.
Please do your own research and come to your own conclusions. Do not let the mainstream media influence you. It is poison. Zionism is Poison.
People are being killed, just to show the world what is happening, see for yourself:
@eye.on.palestine
@lowkeyonline @Wearethepeace
@hossam_shbat @anasjamal44
If you can’t lift the injustice, at least tell everyone about it.
Free Palestine.
End Zionism.
David Probert, chief executive of UCLH Trust, released a statement on Sunday to UKLFI.
“Firstly, I would like to apologize on behalf of UCLH for the distress and upset caused by these posters. At UCLH, we value diversity and inclusivity, and we are committed to providing a fair and non-discriminatory service to all individuals, regardless of background,” Probert stated. “Following receipt of your letter, I promptly made internal enquiries and was informed that the posters were initially noticed last week. This matter was immediately treated as an incident, and all the posters were removed without delay.”
Probert added, “Senior members of staff conducted a walk-around to ensure no further posters remained. Additionally, the department’s newsletter addressed the incident, reminding staff of the Trust’s policy against displaying political messages and encouraging vigilance in identifying and removing any similar materials. Security personnel have also been instructed to remain alert.”
Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, said that her organization welcomed the hospital’s taking down of the posters.
“We welcome UCLH’s prompt, proactive, and constructive engagement with this issue. UCLH’s actions will help preserve dignity, equality, neutrality, and respect within NHS spaces, particularly for Jewish patients seeking medical care,” she said in a statement.
Another instance of anti-Israel rhetoric at UK hospitals involves midwife Fatimah Mohamied, who resigned from her position after UKLFI highlighted her anti-Israel social media posts. Mohamied has now filed a claim against Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, alleging a violation of her rights.
“I have been subjected to a concerted and targeted effort to intimidate, harass, and punish me into silence for my Palestinian advocacy and criticism of Zionism,” Mohamied said. “I am taking legal action against my former employer to finally seek accountability for a campaign of harassment against me in the midst of a live genocide perpetrated by the Israeli state — I will not accept the attempts to silence me and those like me.”
Mohamied added, “Health=care workers in the NHS have the right to critique a colonial political ideology that has upheld an illegal occupation for decades and is responsible for violating universal values of health.”
Examples of Mohamied’s posts include her declaration “hell yeah!!!” on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel, as she reshared the statement “Palestinians have a right to resist their occupation-we have a right to support them. It’s that simple.”
She also wrote on Oct. 7, 2023, that “Palestinian women have birthed under blockade and seige [sic] This is apartheid and like all apartheid, no justice or dignity can be found.” The post was in response to another social media user defending Hamas’s atrocities as a justified response to Israeli actions.
In another online comment, Mohamied wrote, “The problem lies in using Jewish cultural safety as a smokescreen to propagate colonialism, occupation, apartheid, and genocide as somehow acceptable. The problem here are the Zionist speakers you hold no qualm or shame to platform. There is no neutrality in degradation, there is no balance in ignoring opposition to Zionists, there is no innocence in hosting Zionists.”
Liana Wood, a partner at the legal firm Leigh Day representing Mohamied, said that the trust’s “referrals against Fatimah, made a year after she had stopped working for them, were an entirely disproportionate response to her lawful expressions of belief on her personal blog and social media accounts.” She added that “Fatimah’s case, which has parallels with other cases we have seen recently in the NHS, highlights the need for employers to resist pressure from lobby groups in such cases, and to carefully consider any potential infringement on an individual’s rights before taking action against them.”
These instances in the UK track with other reports from Jews around the world expressing discomfort with health-care providers’ antipathy toward Israel manifesting as violent threats.
In the Netherlands, for example, police opened an investigation into Batisma Chayat Sa’id, a nurse who allegedly stated she would administer lethal injections to Israeli patients.
Sa’id denied making the comments. “It seems someone is pretending to be me, posting false and defamatory statements,” she said. “I want to make it clear — I hold no hatred toward Jews or any people, race, religion, or identity.”
Last year, however, an account under her name also posted threatening messages aimed at Jewish people, including “Your time will come — don’t spare anyone,” and another in which she described the burial of Israelis in Gaza as “a dream come true.”
The nurse’s alleged threat mirrors a similar incident in Australia, in which video showed two nurses — Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh — posing as doctors and making inflammatory statements.
The widely circulated footage showed Abu Lebdeh declaring she would refuse to treat Israeli patients and instead kill them, while Nadir made a throat-slitting gesture and claimed he had already killed many.
“Now they actually brag online about killing Israeli patients,” Shira Nussdorf, a US-born Jewish woman who moved from Israel to Australia six years ago, told The Algemeiner earlier this year when the video first emerged. “I don’t know how safe I would feel giving birth at that hospital.”
Following the incident, New South Wales authorities in Australia suspended their nursing registrations and banned them from working as nurses nationwide. They were also charged with federal offenses, including threatening violence against a group and using a carriage service to threaten, menace, and harass. If convicted, they face up to 22 years in prison.
A December 2024 study by the Data & Analytics Department of StandWithUs, a Jewish civil rights group, found that 40 percent of 645 Jewish American health-care professionals surveyed reported experiencing antisemitism in the workplace. A similar study of Canadian Jewish health workers conducted last year reached 80 percent.
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First Charter Aliyah Flight Since Hamas’s Oct. 7 Attack Brings 225 Newcomers to Israel
New olim disembark at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on the first charter aliyah flight since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, arriving to begin new lives in Israel. Photo: The Algemeiner
NEW YORK/TEL AVIV — Defying the uncertainty of war, 225 Jews arrived in Tel Aviv on the first charter aliyah flight since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, determined to start new lives and contribute to the country they now call home.
On Wednesday morning, Nefesh B’Nefesh — a nonprofit that promotes and facilitates aliyah from the United States and Canada — brought its 65th charter flight from New York to Tel Aviv.
Aliyah refers to the process of Jews immigrating to Israel.
With the most children yet on a single flight, this historic aliyah brought 45 families to their new homeland — 125 children among them, ranging from the youngest at 9 months to the oldest at 72.
Migrating from across the US and Canada, these newcomers and families are settling throughout Israel to build communities and begin new lives of service to the Jewish state. Among them are professionals in fields such as medicine, journalism, education, law, accounting, engineering, and many others.
During a farewell ceremony in New York, Nefesh B’Nefesh chairman and co-founder Tony Gelbart commended those on the flight, holding them up as examples of Jewish resilience and unity in the face of adversity
“You’re fulfilling your dream, but I believe you’re doing something even more important at this time,” Gelbart said in his speech.
“Not only are you helping Israel; you’re showing the world that Jews everywhere stand together and care for one another,” he continued.
Israeli Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer, who traveled to the US to see off the new olim (immigrants who moved to Israel) on their historic flight, also praised them for embarking on this new chapter in Israel.
“I want to thank each and every person who made the decision to make aliyah during the war. It strengthens our resilience and our solidarity, and I am truly proud of them,” Sofer told The Algemeiner.
“Since Oct. 7, we’ve seen that most people want to support Israel … but the highest form of solidarity is choosing to make aliyah,” the Israeli official said. “These individuals want to be part of what’s happening in Israel, make a meaningful difference, and stand with their people.”
Founded in 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh is dedicated to “strengthening the State of Israel by facilitating aliyah, advancing national service and development, and promoting Zionist education.”
Nefesh B’Nefesh, working alongside Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth, and the Jewish National Fund-USA, helps olim become fully integrated members of Israeli society.
To this day, they have assisted nearly 100,000 olim in establishing thriving lives in Israel, guiding them through the aliyah process.
Those who decide to make aliyah receive comprehensive support to help them transition smoothly into their new life, including guidance through the immigration process, access to community programs, health-care assistance, and employment resources.
The Israeli government also provides a range of support and resources to ease the transition and adaptation for those taking this significant step, including housing subsidies and higher education incentives for young olim and professionals pursuing studies in Israel.
“I believe we’ll see an increase in the number of people making aliyah in the coming years. It won’t happen overnight, but it will be a gradual process,” Sofer told The Algemeiner. “The trend is clear, and there is growing interest among many in taking this step.”
“We’re seeing numbers rise year by year, especially from Western countries like the UK, France, and North America, and I expect that trend to continue,” the Israeli minister said.
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‘Pat Buchanan in a New Guise’: Trump Aide Sebastian Gorka Slams Tucker Carlson Over Anti-Israel Stance
Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the US president and senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council, at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC, Aug. 19, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
A senior aide to US President Donald Trump on Tuesday repudiated controversial political commentator Tucker Carlson for promoting what he described as an isolationist foreign policy that’s hostile to Israel, suggesting that Carlson is “repackaging” the ideology of infamous paleoconservative intellectual Pat Buchanan.
Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council, made the comments while appearing for an event at the Hudson Institute, a prominent think tank in Washington, DC.
Moderator Michael Doran, a Hudson senior fellow and Middle East expert, asked Gorka to address the growth of anti-Israel, antisemitic sentiment on right-wing podcasts and social media.
“This wing of isolationism is nothing new. We had this 100 years ago, and this is just a poor, substandard repackaging of neo-Buchananite isolationism,” Gorka said in response.
“The Tucker right wing is basically, you know, Pat Buchanan in a new guise. It is actually a shallower version. Pat is far smarter than this version of isolationism,” Gorka continued.
Carlson, a right-wing podcaster and former Fox News host, has repeatedly argued on his podcast that the US should withdraw from costly foreign entanglements and focus on domestic issues. That perspective has led him to sharply criticize US support for Israel, which he has framed as an unnecessary drain on American resources and a distraction from pressing challenges at home.
Carlson has often warned that Washington’s commitments to its allies, particularly in the Middle East, risk dragging the United States into wars that he believes serve little purpose for the average American family. His rhetoric has placed him at odds with more traditional conservatives who view support for Israel as central to US foreign policy.
In June, Carlson clashed with US Sen. Ted Cruzhttps://www.algemeiner.com/2025/06/18/ted-cruz-defends-aipac-foreign-influence-claims-accuses-tucker-carlson-antisemitism/ (R-Texas) over the latter’s support for Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a lobbying group that promotes bipartisan support for a strong US-Israel relationship. During the tense interview, Cruz called out Carlson over his “obsession” with the world’s lone Jewish state.
“You’re asking, ‘Why are the Jews controlling our foreign policy?’” Cruz stated. “If you’re not an antisemite, give me another reason why the obsession is Israel.”
Carlson recently came under fire for interviewing Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian but not pushing back against his claims or challenging the leader on Iran’s nuclear program or human rights record.
Meanwhile, Buchanan regularly courted controversy with provocative statements depicting the so-called “Israel lobby” as a sinister force swaying US policy — even claiming Capitol Hill is “Israeli occupied territory.” He has also cast doubt on established Holocaust history, minimizing atrocities at Treblinka, and framed Jewish influence in ways many critics condemned as antisemitic. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) branded him an “unrepentant bigot” and claimed that he “repeatedly demonizes Jews and minorities and openly affiliates with white supremacists.”
Gorka dismissed the vocal chorus of isolationist, anti-Israel conservatives as “probably half a dozen very loud people on Twitter [now officially called X] and Rumble.” He emphasized that isolationist ideologues such as Carlson are not representative of the broader conservative political base.
“I mean, you get out of the miasma, the cesspit that is social media and you talk to representative MAGA [Make America Great Again] of the 80 million that put the president back in the White House,” Gorka said. “They don’t think that we should pull down the shutters on the Pacific and the Atlantic coast. They don’t think that Israel is the reason for [Hamas’s attack on Israel on] October the 7th. They actually have a very special place in their heart for Israel, and they don’t think that hospitals being bombed in Ukraine is a good thing.”
Gorka added that the Americans people will not be easily swayed by the isolationist wing of the conservative movement.
“One of the most trenchant, indicative characteristics for me of the American people is common sense. They understand who was responsible for October the 7th. They understand who Vladimir Putin is,” Gorka said.
Doran argued during the event that the anti-Israel wing of conservatism maintains “no hold” on Trump.
“It’s clear that that President Trump is not listening to them, making decisions in a completely different way,” Doran said. “I mean, he basically signaled it with that Truth Social posting where he said, ‘Who’s going to tell kooky Tucker Carlson that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon?”