Boycotts, Brides, and 50,000+ Reasons Leonard Cohen Played in Israel

Leonard Cohen played to a sold-out crowd on September 24 in Ramat Gan, Israel. About 6 months ago when the tickets started going on sale, the country was abuzz: are you going to see Leonard Cohen? It was a question asked by grandmothers to young teens. A Canadian friend of mine, Mark, stationed in Qatar, was even mulling coming to Israel for the show -- despite the fact that he'd have to do it clandestinely through Jordan since Israel and Qatar do not have diplomatic relations. Tickets sold out in 12 hours, so if you didn't act fast there was no point.

As much as I love Leonard Cohen (and the fact that I could easily have two of his songs on the soundtrack of my life: "Dance Me To The End of Love," and "Halleluiah") I couldn't imagine forking out the equivalent of about $300 CAN for a ticket. So I stayed in Jaffa and after a day of work went to visit my friend Rivi in Tel Aviv. We headed over to Tel Aviv's famous vegan restaurant Buddha Burger and for once since it was opened a year or so ago, it was virtually empty - as were the nightclubs on Lillenblum Street. It was as though the entire city had gone to see Leonard Cohen.

It's like that in Israel when big acts come. People pour out of the cities to the 50,000 seat Ramat Gan stadium. Although we are only a short flight to Europe - about 3 to Germany, 1.5 to Turkey or an hour to Greece - it's a big commitment for artists to come to Israel. I reason that most of them, unless they are die-hard fans of Israel or Jewish people, don't bother: I can't think of one big act that has come to Israel without pro-Palestinian organizations boycotting against them. With all the bad press, who wants to be bothered?

Smaller acts like Regina Spector or MGMT don't care, but once an artist hits it big: watch out. You'll be boycotted, and no one, quite frankly, including the artists, understands how boycotting arts and cultural events in Israel will bring Middle East peace.

It happened with Madonna, who didn't care. She's Madonna after all. It happened with Depeche Mode, who says boycotts don't bring peace. Same with Paul McCartney and recently Leonard Cohen. Unlike Madonna and the other big acts who come to Israel for the eager and captive audience (tickets sell like hotcakes - this year 50,000 for Cohen), Leonard Cohen decided to make any wrongs in this world right and has donated some $2 million USD in box office sales to a number of peace-making organizations in the region, including the Peres Center for Peace.

According to Haaretz, a local newspaper:

Seconds after Cohen took to stage in his legendary tailored suit and hat the 75-year-old singer-songwriter softly uttered a Hebrew prayer in front of some 50 thousand people curious to see how the frail looking man planned to overcome the distance between the stage and the people tens of meters in the back.

So me, tired of hearing news about boycotts -- the tiring antics around the Toronto Film Festival and the attempted boycott of Israeli movies (and more recently Spain and Israel's environment project) - was so proud of Cohen when he turned those proposing a boycott and flipped the idea on its head: The $2 million he's earned in ticket sales is now going towards dialog and peace work. It was money that should stay in the region, anyway that's what he said to the media.

"Everyone in the audience felt like Cohen was personally singing to them and the enthusiastic and even ecstatic crowd wouldn't let the singer leave until his third encore," noted the Haaretz reporter.

Sigh.

Well, I can't say I missed Cohen completely. After returning from Tel Aviv with a seaweed/tofu salad in my belly, washed down with orange juice and a tofu milk latte and soya cheese panacotta, I opened the big blue gate to my house to face the 250 person wedding in the front yard. (I live in a house that is also a venue for arts events and celebrations, managed by my friend BH).

More than half of the guests at the wedding looked about 30 and under. Obviously they'd sacrificed more than a big fat wedding check, the custom in Israel, to go to their friend's wedding. Worse: they'd missed their chance to see Cohen. The bride's uncle decided that the guests would not suffer. He'd arranged an online recording of the show and screened the video to a teary bride while onlookers mouthed the lyrics by heart.

Projected on the wall of the house, we all looked to the new married couple and swayed to Cohen's "Dance Me To The End of Love."

(Karin Kloosterman is founder and editor of the Middle East environment news site Green Prophet. This post first appeared on Canada's Israel)

 

 

Follow Karin Kloosterman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kloostermania

Comments

[Fein]

As with all boycotts throughout history, people who need the buck$ line up for the lucrative opportunity to break the boycott., It has nothing to do with the issues that the boycott represents. It has to do with $$$.

As a side note, paying CA$300. to see Leonard Cohen is the best evidence possible of the stunning success of this boycott! Hec, I'd play there for that! (not)

[lbsaltzman]

I am a great fan of Leonard Cohen, but I was disappointed that he played in Israel. Especially because he didn't use the visit to protest Israeli war crimes. The only reason I can think of to go to Israel now is to do something to oppose the occupation of Palestine and work for peace.

[Nooneyouknow]

I'm always disappointed when artists playing in the U.S. don't use the occasion to protest U.S. war crimes.

[lainey]

Very nice story. I long for peace for the people of Israel and Palestine. I wish we all did.

[Vickster]

I think most of us long for peace. We just disagree on how to get there.

[CarlyHope]

Great post! Boycotts are useless, they don't lead to dialogue or peace.

[asiswhen]

there are tons of misleading points in this post, but the best illustration of this flawed reasoning is that the Peres Center of peace is a money pit that has done nothing to bring equal rights and justice to the palestinians, who to this day are robbed of their land, one hill, one olive tree at a time.

Now B'Tselem is proving itself to be a suckling money pit, see 'B'Tselem: Goldstone report is wrong' in Jerusalem Post

[CarlyHope]

you slander a great organization because it disagreed with one report? That's pretty baseless and unfair

[TheLonelyGod]

Very informative comment. When B'tselem is attacking Israel, it's considered to be right up there with HRW, Amnesty International, and all the other human rights groups.

But when they step one toe out of lockstep with the anti-Israel crowd, they get thrown under the bus faster than you can say "Goldstone Report." It speaks volumes about the "open-mindedness" of the anti-Israel folks on this site.

[Goefel]

Artists also don't want to perform in Israel because they are seen as the jester playing to the grand court which violates human principles and defies international law. Why can't Israel become integrated into the world is the question to ask?
Based on the numbers you state, 50,000 attendees would gross about 15 million cash. If Cohen sends 2 million for 'dialogue and peace work' that leaves him with a hefty remainder of cash.
If your tired of hearing news about boycotts of Israel, do something to change. I know what it's like living in La-La Land. Take a stand against what is wrong with your nation.

[averygard]

Okay, well, then nobody should play in America, either. In fact, nobody should play in any country at all that has ever had enough influence in the world to have ever made bad decisions. So...I guess there should be no music heard by anybody except in (blameless) Palestine?

[lightningbolt]

Self defense is not wrong.

[CarlyHope]

That's why I wasn't against war in Gaza.

[mflorian]

That was very nice. I'm glad you posted it. =)