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Entertainment industry veteran and author Lana Melman fights antisemitism in Hollywood out of her love for Judaism and Israel.
In 2011, Melman found herself in the center of a storm when the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement began picking up speed in Hollywood. BDS activists were boycotting, threatening and harassing artists with any Israel-related associations.
Melman became premier director of Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a pro-Israel nonprofit organization that works to combat antisemitism in the entertainment industry. She counseled artists who were unprepared for this type of harassment and helped them to understand that these attacks were not going to have long-term effects on their careers.
In Artists Under Fire, Melman details how she helped singer-songwriter Alicia Keys and her team navigate through a coercive BDS campaign against her when she announced she would be performing in Israel on July 4, 2013.
Artists Under Fire describes how some BDS proponents take harassment and intimidation a step further, to the point of threatening artistsâ lives. When former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney announced he would be performing in Tel Aviv to celebrate Israelâs 60th anniversary, he was warned by Islamic activist Omar Bakri Muhammad that if he went through with it, âsacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.â McCartney said he does what he thinks and performed in Israel anyway.
Irish singer-songwriter Sarah McTernan received âsinister threatsâ after she sang in the Eurovision song contest in Israel. Melman describes the campaign against her as âgenuine intimidation.â Some of the foreboding messages said, âYou have to be carefulâ; âWatch where you goâ; âYou never know where Iâll beâ; âBe careful who youâre with.â
MELMAN IMPLORES people to question whether the tactics employed by BDS supporters are reflective of a movement that claims to be about justice and human rights. âDo you want to support an organization that fosters these kinds of threats? Do you find this movement or BDSâs messaging to be moral and ethical? Look at what happens to these artists!â
Melman explains how antisemitic tropes that go as far back as medieval times, like accusing Jews of blood libel, are at the core of BDS campaigns, and that their own messaging proves they are antisemitic. âRepeating antisemitic tropes is part of BDS propaganda. When you say âstolen land,â you are accusing Jews of being greedy thieves, and thatâs a classic antisemitic trope that stirs up worldwide Jew-hatred.â
The BDS movement claims to fight against Israelâs âoppressionâ of Palestinians,â but Melman notes that their own activists âwill frequently sabotage attempts to help the Palestinian people.â
She suggests people âwrite letters to the editors, op-eds, thereâs social media â I provide access for people who get my newsletter. We need to be active; a momentum happens.â
Melman recalls that when she was writing her book, she âbuilt a case and put BDS on trial.â Itâs clear that BDS supporters donât want artists under any circumstances to visit Israel because, Melman points out, âthen they would see that itâs vibrant and diverse. Thatâs evidence of the fact that theyâre lying because Zionists arenât afraid of what youâll see when you go there.â
âI have never seen any call from BDS for peace or prosperity or any way forward,â she adds.
(full article online)
www.jpost.com
In 2011, Melman found herself in the center of a storm when the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement began picking up speed in Hollywood. BDS activists were boycotting, threatening and harassing artists with any Israel-related associations.
Melman became premier director of Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a pro-Israel nonprofit organization that works to combat antisemitism in the entertainment industry. She counseled artists who were unprepared for this type of harassment and helped them to understand that these attacks were not going to have long-term effects on their careers.
In Artists Under Fire, Melman details how she helped singer-songwriter Alicia Keys and her team navigate through a coercive BDS campaign against her when she announced she would be performing in Israel on July 4, 2013.
Artists Under Fire describes how some BDS proponents take harassment and intimidation a step further, to the point of threatening artistsâ lives. When former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney announced he would be performing in Tel Aviv to celebrate Israelâs 60th anniversary, he was warned by Islamic activist Omar Bakri Muhammad that if he went through with it, âsacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.â McCartney said he does what he thinks and performed in Israel anyway.
Irish singer-songwriter Sarah McTernan received âsinister threatsâ after she sang in the Eurovision song contest in Israel. Melman describes the campaign against her as âgenuine intimidation.â Some of the foreboding messages said, âYou have to be carefulâ; âWatch where you goâ; âYou never know where Iâll beâ; âBe careful who youâre with.â
MELMAN IMPLORES people to question whether the tactics employed by BDS supporters are reflective of a movement that claims to be about justice and human rights. âDo you want to support an organization that fosters these kinds of threats? Do you find this movement or BDSâs messaging to be moral and ethical? Look at what happens to these artists!â
Melman explains how antisemitic tropes that go as far back as medieval times, like accusing Jews of blood libel, are at the core of BDS campaigns, and that their own messaging proves they are antisemitic. âRepeating antisemitic tropes is part of BDS propaganda. When you say âstolen land,â you are accusing Jews of being greedy thieves, and thatâs a classic antisemitic trope that stirs up worldwide Jew-hatred.â
The BDS movement claims to fight against Israelâs âoppressionâ of Palestinians,â but Melman notes that their own activists âwill frequently sabotage attempts to help the Palestinian people.â
She suggests people âwrite letters to the editors, op-eds, thereâs social media â I provide access for people who get my newsletter. We need to be active; a momentum happens.â
Melman recalls that when she was writing her book, she âbuilt a case and put BDS on trial.â Itâs clear that BDS supporters donât want artists under any circumstances to visit Israel because, Melman points out, âthen they would see that itâs vibrant and diverse. Thatâs evidence of the fact that theyâre lying because Zionists arenât afraid of what youâll see when you go there.â
âI have never seen any call from BDS for peace or prosperity or any way forward,â she adds.
(full article online)
Hollywood insider Lana Melman puts BDS on trial
Lana Melman's new book, Artists Under Fire: The BDS War Against Celebrities, Jews and Israel, is a call to action against censorship and deprivation of artistry.
www.jpost.com
