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cultural boycott

Yemen Blues performing at the 2025 Showcase Music Festival at Teder TLV, an outdoor venue in south Tel Aviv (Courtesy)
'If last year there was some understanding, now it's over'
Global industry professionals spurn major Israeli music showcase amid cultural boycott
By Jessica Steinberg
Upcoming festival seeks to bring local talent to the attention of international scouts, but funding cuts and hostile attitudes to Jewish state have it starting on a sour note
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli sings in the Church of S. Saviour in the Old City of Jerusalem on June 13, 2011. (Alessio Romenzi/AFP)
October 8, 2026, 6:41 am
Anti-Israel groups urge boycott of Andrea Bocelli’s Jordan concert; he played Tel Aviv in 2022
BDS Jordan says it’s unacceptable for the Italian tenor, who ‘raised funds for the occupation army,’ to perform at ancient city of Petra
By AFP
Novelist Phil Klay speaking at the Berkley Center in Georgetown University, Washington DC, April 18, 2023. (Screenshot from YouTube)
September 18, 2026, 6:19 pm
PEN America names author Phil Klay, critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and West Bank, as president
Amid ongoing uproar over Israel-Hamas war, group which advocates for writers and free expression taps Iraq War veteran who signaled support for PEN article on Israeli and Jewish writers, denounces Israel’s treatment of Palestinians
By Hillel Italie
Dancer and choreographer Dor Pazuelo performing in the 2025 Jerusalem Solo International Dance Festival; this year's edition takes place September 15-19, 2026 (Liron Wiseman)
August 31, 2026, 9:43 am
Jerusalem dance event struggles with boycott pressures, but moves ahead
Jerusalem Solo International Dance Festival will celebrate five years, hosting 17 artists from 11 countries
By Jessica Steinberg
Dinaw Mengestu speaks at a PEN America event in May 2026. (YouTube screenshot)
July 14, 2026, 1:10 pm
PEN America president’s resignation marks latest anti-Zionist uproar in literature
Dinaw Mengestu quits free-expression group over article that highlighted post-October 7 prejudice against Jewish and Israeli writers and expressed opposition to cultural boycotts
By Luke Tress
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists stage a protest against the participation of Israel in the Venice Biennale art show, in front of Israel's pavilion, on May 6, 2026, in Venice. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)
May 9, 2026, 1:19 pm
Artists strike to protest Israeli participation ahead of Venice Biennale
Some 12 pavilions closed or partially shuttered, while others fly Palestinian flags; police clash with march of 2,000 demonstrators trying to reach Israeli installation
By ToI Staff and Agencies
A man running in front of a sign for the Venice Biennale in Italy in an undated photo. (Stefano Mazzola via Getty Images via JTA)
April 28, 2026, 9:57 am
Venice Biennale judges won’t consider Israel due to Netanyahu’s ICC arrest warrant
Artist and sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, representing Israel, says he believes ‘art thrives on openness’; Foreign Ministry: ‘Spectacle of false, anti-Israeli political indoctrination’
By Jackie Hajdenberg
Protesters hold a banner and Palestinian flags as they take part in a demonstration against Israel's candidate during the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 opening ceremony in Basel, Switzerland, on May 11, 2025. (Stefan Wermuth / AFP)
April 18, 2026, 3:36 pm
Entertainment figures add names to letter rejecting calls to kick Israel out of Eurovision
Amy Schumer, Mila Kunis, Erin Foster, Matthew Weiner among those who say expulsion would be ‘inversion of justice’ as Israel responds to ‘greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust’
By ToI Staff
French writer Emmanuel Carrere poses for a picture after winning the Prix Medicis literary prize for his novel 'Kolkhoze,' in Paris, France, on November 5, 2025. (Julie SEBADELHA / AFP)
February 6, 2026, 10:46 am
French author said to scrap Tel Aviv event after backlash from literary journal
Emmanuel Carrère, who is reportedly researching piece on Gaza and West Bank, apologizes for last-minute cancellation, says meeting ‘sparked a controversy that I cannot partake in’
By ToI Staff
Rapper and reservist Noam Tsuriely in Gaza in December 2024. (Courtesy)
January 26, 2026, 7:27 am
Farewell, tour? Wary Israeli entertainers increasingly reluctant to face BDS abroad
As stonewalling from colleagues, protests outside performances and even threats of arrest aim to prevent the show from going on, some artists think it may be better to sit out 2026
By Jessica Steinberg
Olwen Fouéré attends the world premiere of "The Watchers" at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 02, 2024 in New York City. (Getty Images via AFP)
November 30, 2025, 5:42 pm
Actress rejects honor from Irish university in protest of Israel research pact
Olwen Fouéré joins two others in turning down honorary doctorates over school’s research partnership with Technion
By Zev Stub
Judy Chicago stands in front of one of her artworks entitled 'What if Women Ruled the World' during a press preview for the exhibition 'Judy Chicago: Revelations' at the Serpentine North gallery in London on May 21, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
November 29, 2025, 1:30 pm
Judy Chicago’s feminist art lands in Tel Aviv, igniting an anti-Israel boycott call
In ‘What If Women Ruled the World,’ on display through Dec. 27, the artist poses a question that hits home in a war-torn country predominantly led by males – though critics still loom large
By Karen Chernick
American actor Kevin Spacey visited the Western Wall on December 3, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash 90)
November 12, 2025, 6:19 pm
Kevin Spacey says he chose Israel over Greece when told to cancel Tel Aviv show
Actor says he doesn’t respond well to ultimatums, sees echoes of calls to boycott Israel in the ostracism he faced while combating sexual assault claims
By Jessica Steinberg
John Cleese performs during his show 'Last Time to See Me Before I Die' (Tobias Nokolai/Polfoto via AP)
November 11, 2025, 8:06 am
John Cleese says he will reschedule Israel shows, ‘is hugely fond of Israeli audiences’
British comedian said he was following advice about safety regarding upcoming shows, offers sincere apologies
By Jessica Steinberg and ToI Staff
A screenshot taken from a UGC video shows incidents in the Pierre-Boulez Hall of the Philharmonie de Paris, where a person ignited a smoke bomb during a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on November 6, 2025. (Jean-Michel TRANSON / AFPTV / AFP)
November 9, 2025, 8:53 pm
Four charged over disruptions of Israel Philharmonic concert in France
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters caused chaos at the show on Thursday night, repeatedly interrupting it with flares, lighting chair on fire
By Agencies and ToI Staff
Musician Thom Yorke arrives on the red carpet of the Rome Film Festival, in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
October 26, 2025, 6:23 pm
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke says he won’t play in Israel under Netanyahu, objects to boycott pressure
Guitarist Jonny Greenwood, whose wife is Israeli, rejects boycott in joint UK interview; says he’s ashamed he’s dragged bandmates ‘into this mess,’ not ashamed of working with Arab and Jewish musicians
By Jessica Steinberg
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