RSS
Anti-Israel Protesters Harass ‘Zionist’ Attendees of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Performance in London
A pro-Hamas march in London, United Kingdom, Feb. 17, 2024. Photo: Chrissa Giannakoudi via Reuters Connect
Anti-Israel protesters in London were accused of antisemitism for harassing Zionist theatergoers who were attending a production on Monday of the famed 1964 musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
As seen in videos shared on social media, the protesters held Palestinian flags and gathered at a cafe next to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Some of them confronted patrons of the theater and one male protester, who had a black and white keffiyeh draped on his shoulders, yelled at theatergoers “Bye Zios!” Another male protester shouted “Palestine will live forever,” told “Fiddler” ticket holders “you are an embarrassment to England,” and criticized one Israel supporter for being “a Zionist.”
The performance reportedly proceeded as planned after the protest at the cafe.
“Fiddler on the Roof,” which has also been adapted into a film of the same name, has no connection to Israel. Its protagonist is a Jewish milkman named Tevye who wants to preserve his family’s traditions in a tiny village, also known in Yiddish as a shtetl, in imperial Russia in 1905 while aiming to marry off his five daughters, who each challenge his traditions. “Fiddler on the Roof” features the famous songs “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Tradition,” “Matchmaker,” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” The theater’s content advisory warns audiences that the play includes “themes of displacement and some scenes of violence and antisemitism.” All but two of the characters in the play at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre are Jewish.
The production is playing at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from July 27-Sept. 21.
“The play has nothing to do with Israel. It has nothing to do with Zionism. Targeting a symbol of Jewish culture shows that these people hate Jews,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement wrote in a post on X/Twitter.
Pro-Palestinian protest at a performance of Fiddler on the Roof in London tonight.
The play has nothing to do with Israel. It has nothing to do with Zionism.
Targeting a symbol of Jewish culture shows that these people hate Jews. pic.twitter.com/zWOs1fua7t
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) August 5, 2024
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), called the actions of the protesters antisemitic in a post on X/Twitter. “A London performance of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ a musical about a Jewish shtetl, has nothing to do with Gaza, but this broad targeting of Jews has become far too common,” he added.
According to The Independent, Dave Rich, head of policy at the Community Security Trust, said, “‘Fiddler on the Roof’ isn’t just a Jewish musical: it’s the family story of most Jewish families in this country. Holding an anti-Israel protest there is pure antisemitism.”
American actor Adam Dannheisser, who plays Tevye in the production at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, told The Times last week that the venue hired “more security than normal” for its staging of “Fiddler on the Roof” due to the rise in antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Staff members have also been “all trained on how to deal with any disruption,” Dannheisser added.
When the theater’s box office opened in February, “Fiddler on the Roof” had the highest first-day sales in the history of the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Times reported.
The theater is the oldest, professional, permanent outdoor theater in Britain, according to its website. A number of famous actors have acted on stage there including Ralph Fiennes, Eileen Atkins, Kate O’Mara, Natasha Richardson, and Judi Dench, the latter of whom also directed at the theater and joined its board of trustees in 1993. Dench remains on the board today. According to the “history” section of the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre website, starting in 1956 and in the “following years,” its company of actors performed overseas in over 20 different countries, including Israel.
The post Anti-Israel Protesters Harass ‘Zionist’ Attendees of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Performance in London first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.