Philanthropist resigns from roles at all UK arts institutions, citing antisemitism and ‘normalization of hate’

A prominent philanthropist announces she is immediately resigning from all voluntary positions within British arts institutions after campaigns against her, saying the move is a protest against antisemitism and the “normalization of hate.”

“This decision comes not out of fear, weakness, or defeat, but as an act of principled protest against the alarming rise of antisemitism and the tacit normalization of hate within physical and online spaces meant to foster creativity and inclusion,” Candida Gertler says in a statement.

“The failure to confront such hate compromises the very essence of what art stands for — a medium for empathy, exploration and shared humanity. When art institutions allow prejudice to take root, they betray not only the marginalized communities they exclude but also the artists, supporters, and audiences who trust their integrity,” she writes.

The announcement comes after the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) said it would be removing the names of Gertler and her husband from one of its galleries and its donor board, Art Review reports.

An open letter published earlier this week and signed by 1,100 artists and workers from the art world, called on the Tate, one of the UK’s top art institutions, to cut ties with donors including the Outset Contemporary Art Fund, of which Gertler is a co-founder.

The letter said that the Outset Contemporary Art Fund and Zabludowicz Art Trust are “deeply complicit in the Israeli regime” and that there was a need to take a stand “against the artwashing of genocide and apartheid.”

The Gertlers are reportedly friends with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Art Newspaper reports.

Poju Zabludowicz is the founder of Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) and is a donor to several Jewish and Israeli causes.

According to the Art Newspaper, Poju and Anita Zabludowicz declined to comment on the letter but reiterated a statement made in 2023 in which they said they were “deeply saddened and troubled by the horrific war that is unfolding in Israel and Gaza” and “strongly support a two-state solution and peaceful existence that guarantees the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to live and work side by side, in cooperation with the wider Middle East.”