A Brooklyn bar has come under fire for canceling a viewing of the Eurovision Song Contest because Israel’s leading young singer was scheduled to perform, and a Bronx congressman has spoken out in protest. They deride the move as anti-Semitic.
3 Dollar Bill, a bar on Meserole Street in east Williamsburg, will apparently host a viewing party this year for Eurovision, the annual international singing competition sponsored by the European Broadcasting Union, featuring Israeli singer Eden Golan. Looks like it was planned.
But the bar canceled the event Thursday night. he said in an Instagram post. The screening will be postponed “to provide a safe space for all patrons.”
“We have listened to everyone and recognize that hosting Eurovision is not in line with our values here at 3DB,” the post said.
“We understand the concerns raised by the community regarding the need for a boycott,” the post continued. “We sincerely apologize to those we have disappointed and will continue to strive to do better for our community.”
Some in the comment section welcomed the decision, including Rep. Richie Torres (D-N.Y.), who said: I skewered it to X’s post.
“Mr. Golan is being boycotted not because of her actions, but because of who she is as a person,” Torres wrote. “There’s a word for this: anti-Semitism.”
Democrats also argued that while they often say the anti-Israel movement is anti-Zionist, not anti-Semitic, these incidents prove otherwise.
“The boycott of Eden Golan, the banning of Jewish performances, tells a different story,” he wrote in a follow-up post.
Golan, a 20-year-old performer, represented Israel in the show’s semifinals on Thursday. However, many did not want their country to participate in the contest at all. According to the New York Times.
For months, pro-Palestinian groups and some fans have been pushing for her to be kicked off the show due to Israel’s war in Gaza, which began after Hamas attacked the country last October, killing more than 1,200 people, according to the Times. It is said that he tried several times.
According to the paper, protests gained further momentum after it was announced in February that the singer’s entrance song would be “October Rain,” an apparent reference to the attack.
After the uproar, the lyrics were changed and the song title was changed to “Hurricane.”
According to the Times, Golan himself remained defiant, saying, “Nothing is going to break me or throw me off track.”
“I’m here to represent the voice of our entire nation, to show that we are here, that we are strong but emotional and broken,” Golan said. .
Many people who commented on the bar’s Instagram post were also angry about the restaurant’s decision.
“Great virtue signalling,” one user wrote. “As a queer Jewish woman who has friends and family in Israel, I am happy to know that I am not welcome in your facility.”
“I understand you’re under pressure, but holding a singer responsible for his home country’s government is not the righteous position you think it is,” said another. “Seeing her as an agent of the government you oppose is xenophobic. Discrimination based on her nationality is not anti-racism. It’s just racism.”
