UK Jewish philanthropist quits volunteer art work over ‘alarming rise of antisemitism”
Candida Gertler announces move to protest ‘normalization of hate’ as London museum severs its ties with her amid calls to boycott her for Israel advocacy, friendship with Netanyahu
A prominent Jewish philanthropist announced she was immediately resigning from all voluntary positions within British art institutions in protest over antisemitism and the “normalization of hate” following campaigns against her art fund over its links to Israel, art journals reported Friday.
Candida Gertler, co-founder of the Outset Contemporary Art Fund, announced the move after Goldsmiths’ Centre for Contemporary Art at the University of London said Monday that it would remove her and her husband’s names from one of its galleries and its donor board, ending a months-long boycott by pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists.
Gertler said her her decision “comes not out of fear, weakness, or defeat, but as an act of principled protest against the alarming rise of antisemitism.”
“The failure to confront such hate compromises the very essence of what art stands for — a medium for empathy, exploration and shared humanity,” she said, adding that “this is not a goodbye to art but a reimagining of how it can be a force for true societal change.”
Outset, which Gertler co-founded in 2003, has raised over 16 million pounds ($20.3 million) for the arts, earning her royal recognition, according to the Art Review. The fund also contributes to Israeli art institutions, and Gertler is a committee member of the British Friends of Art Museums in Israel.
Gertler is married to billionaire German-British real estate developer Zak Gertler, who hosted Benjamin Netanyahu’s 70th birthday party in 2019 and has donated handsomely to the prime minister’s political campaigns, according to Hebrew media.
The Gertlers’ ties to Netanyahu, and Outset’s support for Israeli museums that offer “art programs for Israeli soldiers,” are cited by the Strike Outset campaign, which calls for a boycott on the fund.
Candida Gertler steps down from Outset Contemporary Art Fund citing 'alarming rise of antisemitism' in cultural spaces.Move comes after 1100 art workers sign open letter demanding Tate cuts ties with philanthropic organisation, which she co-founded in 2003 https://t.co/iShQeaBqbr pic.twitter.com/kJFdnoXXIo
— alain servais (@aservais1) November 29, 2024
The campaign, launched in March, figured this week in a letter signed by over 1,000 people from the art world demanding the premier British museum Tate cut its ties with Outset.
They also targeted another Jewish-linked trust, the Zabludowicz Art Trust.
The missive accused both funds of being “deeply complicit in the Israeli regime” and “the artwashing of genocide and apartheid.”
Poju Zabludowicz, who founded the Art Trust with his wife Anita, is the founder of Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) and is a donor to several Jewish and Israeli causes. Part of his family’s fortune can be traced back to his father Shlomo’s involvement in Israeli defense contractor Soltam.
According to the Art Newspaper, Poju and Anita Zabludowicz declined to comment on the letter urging their boycott, and instead reiterated a 2023 statement saying they were “deeply saddened and troubled by the horrific war that is unfolding in Israel and Gaza.” The statement added that they “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.”
Art institutions the world over have faced increased calls for boycotts against Israel amid the war in Gaza, sparked when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
