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The Artistic Director of a Theatre Posted Hateful Comments About Israel — And I Lost My Position
November 2023: An Israeli soldier helps to provide incubators to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Photo: Screenshot
We tend to think of today’s antisemites and Israel-haters as the masked protesters trying to intimidate Jewish students on university campuses, or perhaps the professors who sympathize with Hamas and refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist.
But there’s another kind of person who lurks beneath the surface, who cleverly knows how to spew hatred about Israel but remains outside the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. They might even be soft-spoken and are usually supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yet, in a moment of weakness — perhaps after they’ve been watching the horrible images coming from Gaza — they can’t help themselves and take to social media.
This was the case with the artistic director of a small independent theatre company in Montreal, who in January 2023 posted an open letter to members of Parliament on his Facebook page.
It started on an empathetic note: “My stomach churns as I write to you on what should be a peaceful Saturday morning … I cherish all members of my community. I value mutual understanding, empathy, dialogue, creative solutions and facing conflicts from a starting point of love and an attempt to listen to and understand each other.”
Adding a measure of protection, he continued: “I wish to be clear. I have many dear friends that are Jewish, and many that are Israeli … The people of Israel are NOT their government.” (But in a democracy, yes, many of them are. And even amongst those critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, almost all Israelis support the war against Hamas in Gaza — which is a war for Israel’s survival.)
And then the artistic director let it rip: “Israel is actively annihilating the people of Gaza … The government of Israel needs to be BETTER than HAMAS.”
“They have shockingly pulled the wool over our eyes as they unapologetically destroy families and blindly and recklessly murder and maim innocent civilians.”
“Under Netanyahu, Israel is quickly becoming a … pariah state, and they are undeniably enacting genocidal atrocities upon the entire population of Gaza.”
Yes — he not only falsely accused Israel of genocide, but charged the country with “pulling the wool” over the eyes of the global population — an antisemitic trope that literally goes back hundreds of years.
I’m sure we’ve all seen such posts from people who we might know — or thought we knew — but what happens when these comments come from the person who is your employer or supervisor? What if you yourself happen to be Jewish or Israeli?
And what happens if, suddenly, after working for this institution, you suddenly find yourself demoted, sidelined, or not having your contract renewed?
Unfortunately, that is exactly my situation.
I’ve served this theatre company as the director of new play development and an associate artist for the past four years. My responsibilities as an independent contractor included chairing a five-person jury for a competition to select the best new plays by Quebec playwrights, as well as running a youth playwriting contest, which I initiated, and trust they will let me continue.
The news of my removal from jury duty came via email on October 23.
“There is a long list of folks around town that have very little work and creative outlets at the moment, and I feel it’s the right thing to bring in a fresh new jury for this year’s competition,” it read. (In the past, the other four jury positions were rotated.)
By that logic, shouldn’t the artistic director step aside in order to give other unemployed artistic directors an opportunity?
This isn’t about money. Theatre will never make anyone rich. In fact, I was instrumental in securing a grant from a pro-Israel foundation to fund my position. (Apparently, Israeli money is still acceptable.)
Is it possible that all this is a coincidence? Absolutely. But my issue is hardly an isolated case.
Recently, in Maryland, an Israeli tech worker at Intel was fired after complaining about his boss’ hateful Israel bashing, and is now suing the company. On the other side of the coin, numerous teachers and professors — even some with tenure — have been fired for their anti-Israel hate speech because they can no longer be trusted to remain objective in assessing their Jewish and Israeli students. It’s even happened at the highest levels of power: The Wall Street Journal reported last week that a longtime special advisor on genocide at the United Nations had her contract terminated because she refuted the position that Israel’s campaign in Gaza did not meet the definition of genocide.
It took me less than five minutes to uncover the artistic director’s diatribe. I searched back on his timeline, looking for any other mention of “barbaric” countries, but couldn’t find any. No mention of Russia’s completely unjustified or provoked invasion of Ukraine, or dozens of other wars raging around the globe. Nothing about Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, Syria, or the present war in Sudan that has seen up to 150,000 civilians killed.
He didn’t even mention the atrocities against Israeli civilians that took place on October 7. In fact, on Oct. 8, he posted an ad for his upcoming play.
I’m not an advocate for censorship, but there’s a larger question here: how can the leader of a company or organization publicly make damning, hateful, inaccurate and out-of-context statements about some of the most complicated matters of the day and remain objective about hiring or firing employees — especially when they’re members of groups that the leader publicly maligns, like myself.
Interestingly, when I brought forward my concerns about the artistic director’s statement to the company’s board of directors, suggesting that he should at least acknowledge that his criticisms of Israel may have gone too far, my request was unanimously rejected.
Montreal was recently rocked by violent protests laden with antisemitic overtones that made headlines around the world.
That hate didn’t arise from nowhere.
Oren Safdie is a playwright and screenwriter.
The post The Artistic Director of a Theatre Posted Hateful Comments About Israel — And I Lost My Position first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Says No Interim Hostage Deal Possible Without Work Toward Permanent Ceasefire
Explosions send smoke into the air in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing said on Friday that while the Palestinian terrorist group favors reaching an interim truce in the Gaza war, if such an agreement is not reached in current negotiations it could revert to insisting on a full package deal to end the conflict.
Hamas has previously offered to release all the hostages held in Gaza and conclude a permanent ceasefire agreement, and Israel has refused, Abu Ubaida added in a televised speech.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce in the war.
Israeli officials were not immediately available for comment on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on a call he had with Pope Leo on Friday that Israel‘s efforts to secure a hostage release deal and 60-day ceasefire “have so far not been reciprocated by Hamas.”
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release a number of detained Palestinians.
“If the enemy remains obstinate and evades this round as it has done every time before, we cannot guarantee a return to partial deals or the proposal of the 10 captives,” said Abu Ubaida.
Disputes remain over maps of Israeli army withdrawals, aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and guarantees that any eventual truce would lead to ending the war, said two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
The officials said the talks have not reached a breakthrough on the issues under discussion.
Hamas says any agreement must lead to ending the war, while Netanyahu says the war will only end once Hamas is disarmed and its leaders expelled from Gaza.
Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies. Over 250 hostages were kidnapped during Hamas’s Oct. 7 onslaught.
Israel responded with an ongoing military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.
The post Hamas Says No Interim Hostage Deal Possible Without Work Toward Permanent Ceasefire first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Marks 31st Anniversary of AMIA Bombing by Slamming Argentina’s ‘Baseless’ Accusations, Blaming Israel
People hold images of the victims of the 1994 bombing attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) community center, marking the 30th anniversary of the attack, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Irina Dambrauskas
Iran on Friday marked the 31st anniversary of the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires by slamming Argentina for what it called “baseless” accusations over Tehran’s alleged role in the terrorist attack and accusing Israel of politicizing the atrocity to influence the investigation and judicial process.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the anniversary of Argentina’s deadliest terrorist attack, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 300.
“While completely rejecting the accusations against Iranian citizens, the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns attempts by certain Argentine factions to pressure the judiciary into issuing baseless charges and politically motivated rulings,” the statement read.
“Reaffirming that the charges against its citizens are unfounded, the Islamic Republic of Iran insists on restoring their reputation and calls for an end to this staged legal proceeding,” it continued.
Last month, a federal judge in Argentina ordered the trial in absentia of 10 Iranian and Lebanese nationals suspected of orchestrating the attack in Buenos Aires.
The ten suspects set to stand trial include former Iranian and Lebanese ministers and diplomats, all of whom are subject to international arrest warrants issued by Argentina for their alleged roles in the terrorist attack.
In its statement on Friday, Iran also accused Israel of influencing the investigation to advance a political campaign against the Islamist regime in Tehran, claiming the case has been used to serve Israeli interests and hinder efforts to uncover the truth.
“From the outset, elements and entities linked to the Zionist regime [Israel] exploited this suspicious explosion, pushing the investigation down a false and misleading path, among whose consequences was to disrupt the long‑standing relations between the people of Iran and Argentina,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
“Clear, undeniable evidence now shows the Zionist regime and its affiliates exerting influence on the Argentine judiciary to frame Iranian nationals,” the statement continued.
In April, lead prosecutor Sebastián Basso — who took over the case after the 2015 murder of his predecessor, Alberto Nisman — requested that federal Judge Daniel Rafecas issue national and international arrest warrants for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over his alleged involvement in the attack.
Since 2006, Argentine authorities have sought the arrest of eight Iranians — including former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died in 2017 — yet more than three decades after the deadly bombing, all suspects remain still at large.
In a post on X, the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), the country’s Jewish umbrella organization, released a statement commemorating the 31st anniversary of the bombing.
“It was a brutal attack on Argentina, its democracy, and its rule of law,” the group said. “At DAIA, we continue to demand truth and justice — because impunity is painful, and memory is a commitment to both the present and the future.”
31 años del atentado a la AMIA – DAIA. 31 años sin justicia.
El 18 de julio de 1994, un atentado terrorista dejó 85 personas muertas y más de 300 heridas. Fue un ataque brutal contra la Argentina, su democracia y su Estado de derecho.
Desde la DAIA, seguimos exigiendo verdad y… pic.twitter.com/kV2ReGNTIk
— DAIA (@DAIAArgentina) July 18, 2025
Despite Argentina’s longstanding belief that Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah terrorist group carried out the devastating attack at Iran’s request, the 1994 bombing has never been claimed or officially solved.
Meanwhile, Tehran has consistently denied any involvement and refused to arrest or extradite any suspects.
To this day, the decades-long investigation into the terrorist attack has been plagued by allegations of witness tampering, evidence manipulation, cover-ups, and annulled trials.
In 2006, former prosecutor Nisman formally charged Iran for orchestrating the attack and Hezbollah for carrying it out.
Nine years later, he accused former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner — currently under house arrest on corruption charges — of attempting to cover up the crime and block efforts to extradite the suspects behind the AMIA atrocity in return for Iranian oil.
Nisman was killed later that year, and to this day, both his case and murder remain unresolved and under ongoing investigation.
The alleged cover-up was reportedly formalized through the memorandum of understanding signed in 2013 between Kirchner’s government and Iranian authorities, with the stated goal of cooperating to investigate the AMIA bombing.
The post Iran Marks 31st Anniversary of AMIA Bombing by Slamming Argentina’s ‘Baseless’ Accusations, Blaming Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Jordan Reveals Muslim Brotherhood Operating Vast Illegal Funding Network Tied to Gaza Donations, Political Campaigns
Murad Adailah, the head of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, attends an interview with Reuters in Amman, Jordan, Sept. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements, has been implicated in a wide-ranging network of illegal financial activities in Jordan and abroad, according to a new investigative report.
Investigations conducted by Jordanian authorities — along with evidence gathered from seized materials — revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood raised tens of millions of Jordanian dinars through various illegal activities, the Jordan news agency (Petra) reported this week.
With operations intensifying over the past eight years, the report showed that the group’s complex financial network was funded through various sources, including illegal donations, profits from investments in Jordan and abroad, and monthly fees paid by members inside and outside the country.
The report also indicated that the Muslim Brotherhood has taken advantage of the war in Gaza to raise donations illegally.
Out of all donations meant for Gaza, the group provided no information on where the funds came from, how much was collected, or how they were distributed, and failed to work with any international or relief organizations to manage the transfers properly.
Rather, the investigations revealed that the Islamist network used illicit financial mechanisms to transfer funds abroad.
According to Jordanian authorities, the group gathered more than JD 30 million (around $42 million) over recent years.
With funds transferred to several Arab, regional, and foreign countries, part of the money was allegedly used to finance domestic political campaigns in 2024, as well as illegal activities and cells.
In April, Jordan outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most vocal opposition group, and confiscated its assets after members of the Islamist movement were found to be linked to a sabotage plot.
The movement’s political arm in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, became the largest political grouping in parliament after elections last September, although most seats are still held by supporters of the government.
Opponents of the group, which is banned in most Arab countries, label it a terrorist organization. However, the movement claims it renounced violence decades ago and now promotes its Islamist agenda through peaceful means.
The post Jordan Reveals Muslim Brotherhood Operating Vast Illegal Funding Network Tied to Gaza Donations, Political Campaigns first appeared on Algemeiner.com.