Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall cancels Hanukkah concert over IDF cantor’s participation, sparking outrage and charges of antisemitic cultural exclusion.
Amsterdam — What began as a symbol of resilience against the horrors of the Holocaust has now become a chilling reminder that antisemitism can wear modern clothes. The Royal Concert Hall of Amsterdam, once proud to restore its pre-war Hanukkah concert tradition, has canceled this year’s event — because the invited soloist, Shai Abramson, once served as a cantor for the Israel Defense Forces.
The Hanukkah concert, rebooted in 2015 — 70 years after Nazi Germany annihilated three-quarters of Dutch Jewry, was meant to celebrate survival, continuity, and cultural freedom. But on Sunday, the Concertgebouw announced it would cancel the December 14 performance after “failing to agree on an alternative” to Abramson, labeling him a “visible representative” of Israel’s military during a “controversial war.”
This explanation, dripping with moral pretense, has left the Jewish community in shock.
“The Concertgebouw — where Hanukkah has been celebrated since 1921, interrupted only by the Nazis — is now isolating Jews again,” the Chanukkah Concert Foundation declared.
The foundation accused the concert hall of yielding to anti-Israel pressure and said it would pursue legal action. “He is an independent artist, not a political representative,” it said, calling the hall’s position “a modern-day cultural boycott disguised as ethics.”
🎶 Double Standards and a Disturbing Pattern
This is not the first time the Royal Concert Hall has bowed to anti-Israel activism.
- In 2023, it canceled a charity event for the Israeli humanitarian group Zaka, demanding that funds be split with a pro-Palestinian organization accused of bias.
- It then scrapped a performance by Jerusalem’s Quartet citing “safety concerns” — just as pro-Palestinian mobs gathered outside.
Now, even Hanukkah — a holiday commemorating Jewish victory over oppression — is being silenced in the name of “balance.”
⚖️ Jewish Leaders Condemn ‘Cultural Cleansing’
Jewish organizations across Europe have condemned the Concertgebouw’s decision as “cultural cleansing” — warning that the message it sends is unmistakable: Jewish identity and Israeli heritage are no longer welcome in European high culture.
“Labeling a Jewish cantor as a political agent revives the same logic that once banned Jewish performers from the stage,” one community leader said.
Ironically, while the Concertgebouw boasts about “connecting people through music,” it has now divided a city still haunted by its wartime complicity.
✡️ A New Kind of Boycott
For many Dutch Jews, this is not about one performance — it’s about the growing normalization of exclusion. From Amsterdam’s university cutting ties with Hebrew University to violent antisemitic mobs at football matches, Europe’s “moral protests” are again targeting Jews, not policies.
As the Chanukah Concert Foundation vows to hold the hall accountable, it insists the show will go on:
Amsterdam — What began as a symbol of resilience against the horrors of the Holocaust has now become a chilling reminder that antisemitism can wear modern clothes. The Royal Concert Hall of Amsterdam, once proud to restore its pre-war Hanukkah concert tradition, has canceled this year’s event — because the invited soloist, Shai Abramson, once served as a cantor for the Israel Defense Forces.
The Hanukkah concert, rebooted in 2015 — 70 years after Nazi Germany annihilated three-quarters of Dutch Jewry, was meant to celebrate survival, continuity, and cultural freedom. But on Sunday, the Concertgebouw announced it would cancel the December 14 performance after “failing to agree on an alternative” to Abramson, labeling him a “visible representative” of Israel’s military during a “controversial war.”
This explanation, dripping with moral pretense, has left the Jewish community in shock.
“The Concertgebouw — where Hanukkah has been celebrated since 1921, interrupted only by the Nazis — is now isolating Jews again,” the Chanukkah Concert Foundation declared.
The foundation accused the concert hall of yielding to anti-Israel pressure and said it would pursue legal action. “He is an independent artist, not a political representative,” it said, calling the hall’s position “a modern-day cultural boycott disguised as ethics.”
🎶 Double Standards and a Disturbing Pattern
This is not the first time the Royal Concert Hall has bowed to anti-Israel activism.
- In 2023, it canceled a charity event for the Israeli humanitarian group Zaka, demanding that funds be split with a pro-Palestinian organization accused of bias.
- It then scrapped a performance by Jerusalem’s Quartet citing “safety concerns” — just as pro-Palestinian mobs gathered outside.
Now, even Hanukkah — a holiday commemorating Jewish victory over oppression — is being silenced in the name of “balance.”
⚖️ Jewish Leaders Condemn ‘Cultural Cleansing’
Jewish organizations across Europe have condemned the Concertgebouw’s decision as “cultural cleansing” — warning that the message it sends is unmistakable: Jewish identity and Israeli heritage are no longer welcome in European high culture.
“Labeling a Jewish cantor as a political agent revives the same logic that once banned Jewish performers from the stage,” one community leader said.
Ironically, while the Concertgebouw boasts about “connecting people through music,” it has now divided a city still haunted by its wartime complicity.
✡️ A New Kind of Boycott
For many Dutch Jews, this is not about one performance — it’s about the growing normalization of exclusion. From Amsterdam’s university cutting ties with Hebrew University to violent antisemitic mobs at football matches, Europe’s “moral protests” are again targeting Jews, not policies.
As the Chanukah Concert Foundation vows to hold the hall accountable, it insists the show will go on:
“We will light our candles — with or without the Concertgebouw.”
