Amsterdam Royal Concert Hall reverses ban on Hanukkah concert featuring IDF cantor

Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall has rescinded its decision not to allow a Hanukkah concert featuring the IDF’s chief cantor, Shai Abramson.

Last week, the Royal Concert Hall, or Concertgebouw, said in a statement that it had canceled the December 14 performance because organizers had not removed Abramson, a retired IDF lieutenant colonel, from the program.

That caused an international uproar, and the Chanukkah Concert Foundation threatened to pursue legal action against the Concertgebouw.

Concertgebouw says today it has reached a compromise agreement with the Chanukkah Concert Foundation. The original concert, scheduled for that Sunday afternoon, will be held without Abramson’s presence. Later in the evening, Abramson will perform as the cantor at two private concerts exclusively for invited guests.

“The Concertgebouw remains of the opinion that – in the current polarized climate – the cantor, who is also Chief Cantor of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), cannot perform at the Concertgebouw. This is due to his symbolic role in the IDF, which is involved in a war that divides our society,” it notes in a statement.

Proceeds from the latter events will be donated to a charity that promotes social cohesion in the city, Concertgebouw adds.