Met Gala may move date from Yom HaShoah as it honors Galliano, who once praised Hitler

Organizers of the next annual Met Gala in New York are reportedly considering moving its planned May 3, 2027, date to avoid it coinciding with Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, as they controversially honor fashion designer John Galliano, who once praised Adolf Hitler.

At the same time, Jewish opposition to the decision to honor Galliano is growing, the New York Times reported Friday, with some donors threatening to pull their donations if Galliano is feted at the event. The report said among the senior officials contacted by the donors were Anna Wintour, the storied Vogue editor and Met trustee who has been a defender of Galliano, as well as Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton and museum director Max Hollein.

“The Met has no tolerance for antisemitism, racism or prejudice of any kind. We are in close consultation with Jewish leaders and other stakeholders, and we take the concerns we’ve heard very seriously,” Hollein said in response. He added that the Met’s leadership was “developing a thoughtful plan for next year’s exhibition and gala that meets the moral and ethical standards set by the museum.”

Bolton said “no critical assessment” of Galliano “can be complete without a direct account of his failings,” but said whether the designer “can be forgiven is not a question the exhibition seeks to answer,” while Wintour responded by saying “From the beginning, Andrew has approached the exhibition collaboratively, and with sensitivity and rigorous scholarship. As always, I am very appreciative and supportive of him, Max and the Met.”

Galliano was fired as chief designer of Dior in 2011 after praising Hitler and hurling antisemitic abuse at patrons at a Paris café. He has since repeatedly apologized and attributed his comments to substance abuse, though he was accused of antisemitism in 2019 for allegedly yelling “Merry Christmas!” repeatedly at a woman speaking Hebrew at an alcohol free spa and telling her he had a problem with the language. A spokesman for Galliano told the New York Times he “denies this ever happened.”

“Our cultural institutions, particularly those that receive funding from the City of New York, have a responsibility to demonstrate that hatred and bigotry carry consequences. Words matter, and whom we choose to elevate is a direct statement of our values and what we are willing to tolerate,” New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is Jewish, was quoted as saying in a statement.

According to the Times report, other prominent figures who have protested to the museum include art dealer Arne Glimcher, who sent an email to to Hollein and Met curator David Breslin saying he and his were “seriously reconsidering other works that have been earmarked from our collection to the Met in our wills.”

The backlash to the exhibit came despite efforts by the museum to stave off such a reaction, with Galliano holding a face-to-face meeting with a number of prominent rabbis earlier this year, while Wintour and museum officials met with several prominent Jewish leaders.

Rabbi David Ingber, who met Galliano and Met leaders but did not attend the sit-down with other rabbis, told the newspaper he was not convinced of the show’s worth, saying that “by centering Galliano, the Met has put the Jewish community in a no-win position. Either we are blamed for being overly sensitive and not allowing him to be honored or we are complicit. The question is not whether they can do this, but whether they should have.”

“In a moment of growing antisemitic hostility, placing Galliano at the center of a great cultural spectacle communicates more than just an artistic examination of his work,” Ingber added, saying that while he “believes in the arc of redemption,” that was not the same as “repentance and forgiveness and an enormous public honor.”