Israel-Hatred 'Has Scaled the Wall of High Culture'
There was such
a large police presence and so many police barricades that anyone passing by
would think that terrorists were at large.
There were no
terrorists on Broadway—although terrorists would soon be mounting the stage
of the Metropolitan Opera. The police were protecting the right of the Opera
House to present the Palestine Liberation Organization and their cause as
mythically majestic and eternally just.
Here's what was
also extraordinary: "The Suits"—men and women in positions of
power, both politically, legally, and financially, felt compelled to take to
the streets to be heard. Governors, Congressional Representatives, Mayors,
Borough Presidents, financial advisors, were not presiding over a press
conference in their grand offices. They were on the streets. I suspect this
may have been the first time they have ever done so.
Peter Gelb had
called the police to make sure that opera lover and former
mayor—"America's mayor" during 9/11—Rudy Guiliani, did no harm to
the opera house. That convener extraordinaire, Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a partner
in a major financial house, would not destroy the set. That Congressman Peter
King and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney would not engage in any acts of petty
vandalism. That attorney Ben Brafman, Borough President Melinda Katz, and
Attorney General Michael Mukasy would not harass the opera board or the cast.
Related Topics: Anti-Semitism,
Arts,
Film & Culture, Israel
|
||||
To subscribe to the Phyllis Chesler mailing list, go to http://www.phyllis-chesler.com/list_subscribe.php |
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Israel-Hatred 'Has Scaled the Wall of High Culture'
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment