Amsterdam Concertgebouw cancels Chanukah concert over singer's ties to Israeli army
Updated at 14:10 to add a comment from Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands.
The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam has canceled its annual Chanukah concert scheduled for December 14, citing lead cantor Shai Abramson’s ties to the Israeli military, NOS reported. The foundation organizing the event, Stichting Chanukah Concert, announced it will take legal action in response.
“We cannot and will not comply with a limitation on religious freedom and this isolating and polarizing action,” the foundation said, announcing plans to go to court.
The concert was intended to mark the start of Chanukah, the Jewish holiday celebrating the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in 164 B.C.
Abramson, who would have led the performance, also serves as a singer at official Israeli military ceremonies. The Concertgebouw asked the foundation to replace him, but the foundation refused.
The Concertgebouw described Abramson as “a visible representative” of the Israeli military, which it said “is actively involved in a controversial war.”
The foundation rejected that characterization. “He is an independent musician and, like many Israeli citizens, a reservist,” the foundation said. “His participation in national ceremonies does not make him a manager, spokesperson, or representative official of the Israeli military, despite repeated suggestions to the contrary by the Concertgebouw.”
The foundation also argued that the decision violates religious freedom. “The Concertgebouw is essentially asking: replace your religious leader. That is not their authority,” the statement said. The organization added that the venue’s action contributes “to the isolation in which the Jewish community feels it is being pushed in today’s climate.”
Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Zvi Aviner-Vapni, called the decision “shameful and reprehensible.” He noted that military service is mandatory in Israel and that, “By excluding an artist because of his service for that purpose, the Concertgebouw fails its own mission to connect people through music.”
Concertgebouw General Director Simon Reinink described the cancellation as a “very unusual case." A spokesperson told NOS that the concert “will not take place at this time,” though the decision could be reversed if a different cantor is proposed.
Tickets already purchased will be refunded if the concert is ultimately canceled. The event website currently lists no mention of the dispute.
Pro-Palestinian groups highlighted video of Abramson singing in military uniform for Israeli soldiers, describing it as “IDF propaganda,” and pressured the venue to bar him from performing.
The Israeli military’s actions in Gaza have been labeled genocidal by several human rights organizations and genocide researchers. The NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies also describes the violence as targeting Gaza’s entire population.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for allegedly using starvation as a tactic of war and targeting civilians. Israel rejects the allegations, claiming the ICC is biased.
