Cancellation of concert led by Israeli conductor in Ghent sparks international criticism
The decision by Flanders Festival Ghent to cancel a concert of the Munich Philharmonic, led by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani, is drawing criticism at home and abroad. German Culture minister Wolfram Weimer called the move “antisemitic,” while Flemish minister-president Mathias Diependaele described it as “rash and thoughtless.”
The concert, scheduled for 18 September at Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, was cancelled on Wednesday evening. The organisers said they were “unable to provide sufficient clarity” on Shani’s “attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv,” citing his role as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, which he has held since 2020.
The cancellation has prompted strong reactions. German government commissioner for Culture Wolfram Weimer said in a statement that “a top German orchestra and its Jewish chief conductor are being disinvited – that’s a disgrace for Europe. This is pure antisemitism.”
Israeli ambassador to Brussels Idit Rosenzweig-Abu echoed that view. “There are words to describe discriminating a person based solely on his origin. Racism. And in the case of a Jew, antisemitism,” she wrote on X.
"This is pure antisemitism”
Divided Belgium
In Flanders, minister-president Diependaele said he understood the festival’s intent to send a signal, but stressed it should not come “at the expense of an individual, an internationally renowned conductor in this case, purely on the basis of his origin. This is a path we should not take as a democratic and modern society.”
Flemish Culture minister Caroline Gennez, meanwhile, supports the festival's decision: "The Flemish and Belgian governments have taken their responsibility and sent a strong signal against the horror in Gaza. I called on the cultural sector to do the same," she told VRT.
But federal Foreign minister Maxime Prévot cautioned against making assumptions regarding the Jewish and Israeli communities. "Let us not generalise and think that every Israeli or Jew automatically supports Benjamin Netanyahu's policies," he told radio station La Première.
Shani was appointed chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic in February 2023. He is set to take up that role in September 2026, succeeding Russian conductor Valery Gergiev. Gergiev was dismissed after the Munich city council ruled he had failed to distance himself from Russian president Vladimir Putin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
#FlandersNewsService | PHOTO © Sven Hoppe/DPA
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