Boy George arrives in Israel, ‘out of a desire for us to dance, live and celebrate’

British pop icon Boy George, who has faced widespread condemnation and boycotts for his outspoken support for Israel in the wake of the October 7, 2023, massacre, arrived in Israel on Saturday ahead of his two performances on November 4 and November 7 in Tel Aviv.

“I am here with you — out of love, out of a belief in peace and out of a desire for us to dance, live and celebrate together again,” said Boy George as he was welcomed at the airport. “I have many Jewish friends who are wonderful people, and I want to tell the world how wonderful they are. I felt I had to speak up and tell everyone your story.”

Promoter Guy Besser from Live Nation Israel, which brought Boy George to perform, and Sylvan Adams, President of the World Jewish Congress Israel, welcomed the performer upon landing.

Adams thanked Boy George for his friendship during challenging times for Israel and the Jewish people.

Boy George discussed his song “We Will Dance Again,” which he was inspired to write after visiting an exhibition in London about the Nova music festival, where hundreds of people were murdered and dozens kidnapped during the Hamas-led attack. The name of the song is a phrase adopted by survivors of the massacre at the rave.

“I think, in a way, the song says everything I wanted to say,” said Boy George.

“For me personally, it really boiled down to conversations with my close Jewish friends in the UK, people I’ve known since I was 15, reconnecting online over this whole thing and realizing: what has it got to do with them? It’s insane that they’re feeling so unsafe, powerless and frightened, and I just felt like I needed to say something. I’ve got a lot of beautiful friends, and I feel I can speak about them and tell the world that they’re beautiful people. Their appreciation has been really important to me and quite overwhelming, actually,” he said.

Boy George had previously described how he faced threats, professional isolation, and accusations of fascism over his support for Israel. He had also spoken of his difficulty finding musicians willing to perform with him in Israel.

Boy George will perform at Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 4, in a concert featuring guest singer Ivri Lider, and on November 7 in a special performance dedicated to the Nova community and their families, featuring DJ Ofer Nissim.

Adams, the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem and Live Nation Israel have donated 1,500 tickets for Nova survivors and bereaved families.

As part of his visit to Israel, Boy George will visit the Nova desert rave site on November 3, along with Nova survivor and former hostage Omer Shem Tov, and representatives of the Nova community.