The Zionist Organization of America (“ZOA”) urges its members and everyone who can do so to attend the important rally on Monday September 22, 2014, at Lincoln Center, at Broadway and 65th Street in Manhattan, starting at 4:30 p.m., to protest against the Met Opera’s scheduled eight performances of the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, pro-terrorist opera, “Death of Klinghoffer.”
Prominent speakers will include former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey; Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY); Israeli Knesset member Nissim Ze’ev; ZOA President Morton Klein; Catholic League President Dr. Bill Donahue; Rabbi Avi Weiss; Assemblyman Dov Hikind; New York Board of Rabbis Executive Vice President Rabbi Joseph Potasnik; Dean of Rambam Mesivta and Shalhevet High Schools Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman; IDF Sgt. Benjamin Anthony; victims of terrorism, and others. Judge Mukasey presided over the prosecutions of the blind sheik (who was involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing), El Sayyid Nosair (who assassinated Meir Kahane and was involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) and Jose Padilla (who plotted to build and explode a dirty nuclear bomb in the U.S.).
Thousands of protestors, including students from area high schools, are expected to attend the protest rally. After the main speeches from 4:30 to 6 p.m., the rally will continue on for many hours, with songs, marching around Lincoln Centers, and more.
ZOA has learned that the Met Opera’s production of “Klinghoffer” will be particularly venomous against Israel and Jews. Among other things, we understand that parts of the opera will be set at a wall in Israel that the opera falsely depicts as a symbol of oppression of Palestinian Arabs. The opera utterly fails to explain that Israel erected a security fence in order to stop Palestinian Arab terrorists from continuing to carry out deadly suicide bombings of pizza stores and buses, which had become a regular occurrence. (The security fence is only an actual wall in a few areas next to major roads where Palestinian Arabs were shooting at innocent Israeli drivers in cars.) From September 2000 to mid-2005, Palestinian Arab terrorists carried out hundreds of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians, killing almost 2,000 innocent Israelis, and maiming thousands of other innocent Israelis.
In addition, Israel’s security fence was erected 20 years after Palestinian Arab terrorists murdered Leon Klinghoffer, and 15 years after John Adams composed “Death of Klinghoffer.” Apparently the opera’s producers will stoop to any stratagem, no matter how historically inaccurate, to attempt to malign Jews and Israel and justify terrorism.
The opera’s pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, anti-American attitude is reflected in a short video interview of “Klinghoffer” composer John Adams, which is now posted on the Met Opera’s website. In the Met’s video, the composer again blames the innocent victims of terrorism.
In his Met website video interview, Adams attempts to justify terrorism as follows: “Opera is the art form that goes to the max; it is the art form that is the most emotional; the one that goes the furthest. In a sense terrorism is the same thing, terrorism is the act that goes to the max, it [terrorism] is the act of desperation.”
“Klinghoffer” composer Adams also blames the victims and attempts to justify terror and justify “humanizing” terrorists again, later in his website interview. Adams states that the terrorists “are still human beings and there have to be reasons why they did this act.”
ZOA President Morton Klein stated:
“Terrorism is not “an act of desperation.” There are no justifiable “reasons” why Palestinian Arabs murdered an innocent disabled American Jew and murdered and wounded thousands of innocent Israeli civilians, or why Islamists murdered thousands of innocent New Yorkers on 9-11, or why an Islamist murdered 13 American soldiers at Ford Hood. An opera that attempts to justify terror should not be staged by one of New York’s premier cultural institutions.
It is the height of irresponsibility that the Met is showing an opera that justifies terrorism and humanizes terrorists in this time of the terrorist group ISIS (the Islamic State) and other terrorist groups publicly threaten attacks against America. New York is the city that suffered the largest terrorist attack in history. There are constant terrorist attacks planned against New York’s citizens.”
The Met’s website video also states: “We’ve used projected text to make sure that the basic narrative and what’s going on for the characters is really clear for an audience.” This likely means that, just in case the audience does not “understand” the terrorists’ alleged “justifications” for murdering Leon Klinghoffer, the opera staging will hit the audience over the head to make sure that its “blame the Jews” propaganda is reinforced. The opera libretto itself also engages in such techniques. For instance, anti-Israel lines, such as the false claim that “Israel laid all to waste” are repeated four times. Previous ZOA press releases have detailed numerous other pro-terror, anti-Semitic, anti-Israel falsehoods in “Klinghoffer.”
The Met’s website video also twists a phrase to avoid stating that Leon Klinghoffer was executed in cold blood by Palestinian terrorists. Instead, the website merely states: “One of the passengers, Leon Klinghoffer, died; He was killed within the hijacking.” as if Leon Klinghoffer’s death was mere happenstance.
The ZOA staff and ZOA President Mort Klein look forward to seeing you at this important protest at Lincoln Center this Monday, September 22nd.
Please also note that there will be additional protests at Lincoln Center if “Klinghoffer” is not cancelled, on Monday October 20, 2014; Wednesday October 29; Wednesday November 5; Saturday night November 8; and Tuesday November 11. For further information, contact [email protected] and/or check our website StopDeathofKlinghoffer.org.
The rally on Monday September 22 at 4:30 p.m. is sponsored by a large coalition of Jewish, Catholic, Christian and anti-terror groups, including: the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA); the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Mothers Against Terrorism; The Catholic League; COJO (the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations); The Bridge Project; Christians’ Israel Public Action Campaign (CIPAC): AMCHA; Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI); COPMA (Citizens Opposed to Propaganda Masquerading as Art); Congregation Or Zarua; Congregation Ohab Zedek; Hasbara Fellowships; Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam (HRCARI); International Committee for the Land of Israel; Lincoln Square Synagogue; Russian American Jewish Experience (RAJE); Israel Forever Foundation; Israel’s Voice; Jewish Action Alliance; Advocates for Israel (AFI); Jewish Political Education Foundation; JCCWatch.org; One Israel Fund; Middle East Research Center Ltd. (MERCL); Rambam Mesivta HS; Shalhevet HS for Girls; Stand With Us; Strength to Strength; and Westchester Hebrew High School (WHHS).