StandWithUs launched a petition on Feb. 20 expressing support for Celine Dion because an organization is pressuring the singer to cancel upcoming concerts in Israel.
Dion is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv on Aug. 4-5; Aug. 5 is Tu B’Av, Israel’s Valentine’s Day. She decided to schedule a second show in Tel Aviv after the Aug. 4 show quickly sold out, according to the Times of Israel.
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), an organization that supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, currently has a campaign urging Dion to cancel the Tel Aviv shows. The organization is encouraging people to send a letter to Dion’s public relations firm and Sony Music, which represents Dion, that reads: “I am very disappointed at the news that you will be performing in Israel. Performing in Israel sends the wrong message to Palestinians who are suffering under Israeli occupation and colonization.”
The CJPME petition currently has sent at least 4,470 emails.
The StandWithUs petition, on the other hand, reads: “Music should never be politicized, and instead of bringing people together, the haters are trying to encourage division! One of Celine’s best well-known songs is ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and in this case, the show must go on!”
The petition encourages people to send Dion, a Canadian-born, Grammy-winning singer who is a worldwide mega-star, support on her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
In 2019, there were BDS campaigns pressuring Jennifer Lopez, Lionel Richie and Bon Jovi to cancel their respective concerts in Israel. All three performed.
David Draiman, the lead singer of the heavy-metal band Disturbed, criticized BDS in a May interview with a Facebook fan page, arguing that “boycotting an entire society, an entire people, based on the actions of its government is absolutely ridiculous.” He also said music is supposed to unite people, not divide people, calling the BDS movement “the antithesis of what art is meant to do.”
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.