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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.
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French Police Arrest Man Suspected of Attempted Arson Against Synagogue
French police stand guard after cars were set on fire in front of the city’s synagogue, in La Grande-Motte, France, August 24, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Manon Cruz
French police have arrested a man suspected of trying to set a synagogue ablaze in the southern French city of la Grande-Motte on Saturday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
About 200 police officers had been hunting for the suspect, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said earlier, adding that the attacker had set fire to several entry doors to the synagogue and several cars nearby.
BFM TV said the suspect was a 33-year-old Algerian. Local police declined to give details.
The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, which was put in charge of the investigation, said early on Sunday that a suspect had been arrested in Nîmes on Saturday evening.
“Before the police could intervene, (the suspect) opened fire on the (police), which returned fire. The man was wounded in the face,” the office said in a statement, adding that two other people were taken into custody.
A policeman was slightly injured when a gas bottle exploded as police secured the site of the attack on Saturday morning, Attal said.
“This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted,” Attal said on X. “In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated.”
After visiting the synagogue, Attal said an “absolute tragedy” had been narrowly averted after firefighters and police arrived quickly at the scene.
Local media reported earlier that the suspect had set fire to two cars, one of which contained at least one gas bottle, in the synagogue’s parking area at about 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT).
Police protection of synagogues, and Jewish schools and shops would be stepped up across France, the government said.
France, like other countries in Europe, has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s retaliatory action in Gaza.
Le Parisien, franceinfo and other media said the suspect had been seen on CCTV shortly before the attack with a Palestinian flag tied round his waist.
“Exploding a gas bottle in a car in front of the Grande Motte synagogue at the expected time of arrival of the faithful: it’s not just attacking a place of worship, it’s an attempt to kill Jews,” Yonathan Arfi, who leads the CRIF, an umbrella organization of French Jewish groups, said on X.
La Grande-Motte is a port and resort city on the French Mediterranean coast.
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‘First Phase’ of Attack Against Israel is ‘Over,’ Hezbollah Declares, Amid Fears of Regional War
Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters through a screen during a rally commemorating the annual Hezbollah Martyrs’ Day, in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Photo: Reuters/Aziz Taher
i24 News – A Hezbollah official said on Sunday that the jihadist group does not wish that its rocket and drone attack against Israel early in the morning should trigger a regional war and, as far as it is concerned, the “first phase” of the attack is over.
The official said the group took time to retaliate for the assassination of top commander Fuad Shukr last month due to “political considerations,” chiefly the ongoing talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal for the Gaza Strip.
The terrorist did not elaborate as to why the group decided to launch its attack despite the still-ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
The official stressed the Shiite militia had “worked” to make sure its response to the July 30 assassination would not trigger a full-scale war.
Hezbollah launched over 320 rockets & drones at Israel, responding to the killing of terrorist Fuad Shukr
But before the strike, the IDF preemptively hit thousands of rocket launchers in Lebanon
Here is everything you need to know, including the latest safety instructions: pic.twitter.com/FyHik3aeIz
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 25, 2024
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Syrian President Says Efforts to Restore Ties with Turkey Have Yielded No Results
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad speaks to the Syrian parliament in Damascus, Syria August 25, 2024. Photo: SANA/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday that efforts to mend ties with Turkey had so far brought no tangible results.
“The initiatives did not yield any results worth mentioning despite the seriousness and genuine keenness of mediators,” Assad said in a speech to the Syrian parliament, referring to conciliation efforts by Russia, Iran and Iraq.
Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels seeking to oust Assad. Assad views the rebels as terrorists.
“The solution is openness,” Assad said. “Restoring a relationship requires first removing the causes that led to its destruction.”
The Syrian president made clear that while he wants Turkish troops to withdraw from Syria, that was not a precondition for talks.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in July he would extend an invitation to Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations.
A Turkish newspaper earlier reported Erdogan and Assad could meet in August, but a Turkish diplomat denied the report.
Russia has been trying to facilitate a meeting between the two leaders in an effort to restore ties. Iraq also said in July that it may seek to try to bring the two leaders together.
The post Syrian President Says Efforts to Restore Ties with Turkey Have Yielded No Results first appeared on Algemeiner.com.