Overview

• After talks in Berlin on August 22, Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer and Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor said artists are reporting growing hostility, cancellations and boycott calls.
• Prosor said musicians are being denied gigs and that actors, directors and club-scene creatives are being booked less frequently.
• Prosor cited threats and abuse directed at Israeli Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael at the May contest in Basel as a recent example.
• The two officials pledged coordinated action to counter Israel- and Jew-hatred in arts and culture, arguing that removing Israeli performers from stages harms artistic freedom overall.
• Weimer has prioritized combating antisemitism since taking office, and the federal government has increased the Jewish Museum Berlin’s budget to about €24 million.