Paul McCartney received death threats for playing in Israel
If you're a musician and you play in Israel, they don't just threaten to kill sales of your music. The BDS'ers threaten to kill you.
When rock legend Paul McCartney came to Israel in 2008, he was, at
least to some extent, taking his life in his hands. Not because of
Israel's sometimes precarious security situation, but because he was
threatened by BDS (boycott, divest, and sanction) anti-Israel groups. “I
got death threats, but I'm coming anyway,” the singer was quoted as saying by Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs researcher Adam Shay.
“I got explicit death threats, but I have no intention of
surrendering. I refuse to cancel my performances in Israel,” Shay quoted
McCartney as saying.
The former Beatle is not alone.
Dozens of other artists who schedule dates in Israel are
lobbied, bullied, threatened, and even attacked at concerts by
anti-Israel groups who are bent on isolating Israel culturally, as well
as economically. Many artists, said Shay, claimed that their web sites
have been attacked by hackers right before their Israeli concerts.
Alicia Keys, who recently played a concert here last week,
supplies the latest example of intimidation faced by artists who play
Israel. Several of her fellow singers – notably Elvis Costello and Roger
Waters – urged her to cancel, calling Israel an “apartheid state,” and
Keys' Facebook page was littered with condemnations of her on the day of
the concert. Costello himself cancelled a concert in Israel in 2010, as
did Carlos Santana, after being hectored by anti-Israel groups. Other
notables who have cancelled planned concerts in Israel are Jon Bon Jovi,
the Yardbirds, Joe Lynn Turner, and the Pixies. Spanish singer Paco
Ibanez went one better, telling a French newspaper that he is boycotting
the Hebrew language, which he can speak, for political reasons.
And you thought the BDS'ers were 'non-violent.' They're about as peaceful as the suicide bombing 'Palestinians' they support.
I'm accumulating a whole bunch of 9/11 stuff for you, but I thought I would post this in advance because once you see it, you'll want to arrange your schedule to watch the whole thing (if you're in the US or it's otherwise available to you). It's on Showtime September 10 at 9:00 pm and it's being shown in a bunch of places on September 8.
This is the trailer for The Love We Make, Paul McCartney's feature length movie about how he tried to help New York in the aftermath of 9/11.
As the United States prepares to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, SHOWTIME will premiere the highly-anticipated feature documentary THE LOVE WE MAKE, which chronicles Paul’s poignant and cathartic journey through the streets of New York in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's destruction, and during the planning and performance of the monumental benefit concert at Madison Square Garden, “The Concert for New York City,” which took place less than six weeks after the terrorist attacks. Directed by iconic documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Salesman, Grey Gardens) and award-winning filmmaking partner, Bradley Kaplan (Muhammad and Larry, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!, Sand and Sorrow), THE LOVE WE MAKE was shot in the signature cinéma vérité style that Maysles pioneered and made famous when he filmed the Beatles’ first visit to America in the legendary 1964 documentary What’s Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.
Paul said, "It was an honor to be able to help New York and America at that time in its history. There was a feeling of shock and fear in the air that I thought we could help alleviate with music. And the fact that so many people stepped up to join us made for a very uplifting evening for us all."
Shooting once again on film, in 16mm black & white, Maysles’ camera intimately captures Paul’s personal journey to help heal the city that welcomed him with open arms so many years ago.
Albert Maysles said “There was so much suffering as a result of 9/11 it’s hard to imagine how one might bring relief to those who were impacted by the attacks, and honor those firefighters, police officers and rescue workers who lost their lives in their heroic attempt to help others. But Paul had the answer: music and a film that would tell the full story.”
Paul was in New York on the day of the attacks, and saw first-hand the destruction and tragic consequences of one of the most horrific days in U.S. history. Directors Maysles and Kaplan, along with Editor Ian Markiewicz (The Beales of Grey Gardens) assembled extraordinary, intimate, never-before-seen footage of Paul rehearsing for the benefit concert, connecting with New Yorkers on the city streets, and storytelling behind-the-scenes at interviews with Dan Rather, Howard Stern and others. Additionally, the film features performances from the benefit concert itself and unparalleled access backstage with McCartney and luminaries from the worlds of music, Hollywood and politics, including David Bowie, Steve Buscemi, Eric Clapton, President Bill Clinton, Sheryl Crow, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger, Jay Z, Billy Joel, Elton John, Stella McCartney, Governor George Pataki, Keith Richards, James Taylor, Pete Townsend, and many more.
Hard to believe it's been 10 years and America has a President who cannot utter the words 'Islamic terror.'
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
