Very recently, ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters hit headlines after openly expressing his contempt for the state of Israel, and urged fellow musicians to join him in his boycott of live performances in the region – now, though, the anti-Semitic rhetoric has somewhat backfired, with one of his New York shows being cancelled after pressure from a Jewish community group.
Spinner reports that the Jewish Community Center Watch has taken the side against Waters, pressuring the 92nd Street Y – a “proudly Jewish organization” – to pull the pin on An Evening With Roger Waters scheduled for its Theresa L. Kaufmann Concert Hall at the end of this month.
In a statement from JCC Watch, Richard Allen says, “It’s absolutely outrageous that Jewish community funds are going to help Roger Waters spread his anti-Semitic message…helping to provide Waters with a facility, marketing, and respectability, so he can win over more people with his anti-Israel lies.”
The event was supposed to be an intimate interview with the rock icon, exploring his life in music. At first it was postponed until June, but is now totally defunct.
Waters made a call to arms for his fellow musicians to scrap plans to perform live in Israel after addressing the UN in regards to the conflict, comparing it to the “apartheid regime” of South Africa. Stevie Wonder has signed up, tapping out of a gala performance for the Israeli defense forces late last year.
